Eaten by a Grue

The Computer & Video Game Archive is working with the Ann Arbor District Library to hold a Halo Reach tournament, where Ann Arborites can battle each other to win some great library swag and bragging rights. We're also working with AADL as they continue their Arcade Master Series, so come ready to play some classic games and prove your skill with them as well!

The zombie horde. They've invaded our movies, corrupted our books, swept through our apocalypse dramas, and plagued our video games. One day, they may invade our homes. Will you be ready? Help the archive develop weapons to quell their numbers before they wreak havoc on everyone. Our special Anti-Zombie Development Authority, or AZDA, has developed several prototypes and strategies to use against them, including conventional guns, loud music, harsh typed words, and our personal favorite, flamethrowers. Which weapon will be the nemesis of these pesky undead? The truth is out there, and you'll only find out by participating in our AZDA tournament over the course of next week.

Looking for a way to celebrate Halloween in style? Join us for our Zombie Game Tournament, taking place during the week leading up to Halloween, and earn Amazon gift cards! Sign up now.

Old Dominion University has taken the time to painstakingly recreate their library in the popular indie game Minecraft, and is currently seeking out ideas for connecting with current and potential users who play the game. According to their website, they're planning a zombie invasion on their virtual library to celebrate Halloween, and who knows what might invade them next.

Jon Irwin of the blog Kill Screen has done an interview with our own Dave Carter that accentuates the archive. In the interview, they discuss the importance of studying not only great and popular games, but learning the history of and learning lessons from the worst games out there as well.

Here are our top games for the month of September. Smash continues to dominate the scoreboard, but Melee has fallen slightly below Brawl. Deus Ex rises quickly in popularity, and the 3DS makes an appearance.

A new game called Planet Hunters, set up by a list of organizations including the University of Oxford and Yale University, enlists the help of gamers to seek out new civilizations. Or at least discover potentially new planets, by searching through NASA Kepler public release data. According to Gamasutra's article, "Every user who helps to discover a planet is then named in the acknowledgements as part of The Royal Astronomical Society monthly notices." The official report explains more of the details.

Online gamers have used a game called FoldIt to help decipher "the structure of an enzyme of an AIDS-like virus," helping scientists to develop "new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs. "While the enzyme had "thwarted scientists for a decade," the entire process took the online gamers only about 3 weeks to crack.

The CVGA now has an events calendar to help everyone keep track of when the archive will be reserved for special events, as well as where we will be represented around campus. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/cvga-events

The Shapiro Library on Central Campus hosted a welcome event for incoming freshmen called Party for Your Mind over the weekend, complete with an introduction to the library system's resources, video games from the CVGA, and rubber ducks (library rubber ducks) for souvenirs. Here are some pictures of the fun times that were had on Sunday afternoon.