We published a column in ALA Magazine on our efforts to engage libraries beyond their walls (EBOW). With the print and online versions, we hope to share news of our program widely. (Thank you for the invitation, ALA Magazine!) Co-written by David Quick of DC Public Library and Benjamin Stokes, you can read our column […]
Innovation Award for Haddonfield’s texting-with-sculptures
Congratulations to one of our local partners: the Haddonfield Public Library. They won an innovation award for their story game (“HOST Sculpture Zoo Texting” project). It emerged in part through our national initiative on Engaging Beyond Our Walls (EBOW) and using our Hive Mechanic authoring system. The award comes from the annual New Jersey Library […]
International Congress on Design Research: Locally Made, Locally Played in Barcelona
I will be traveling to Barcelona on December 4th to present to the International Congress on Design Research as part of the conference’s 2024 Design and Gaming Experience track. The presentation, titled Locally Made, Locally Played: Co-Designing Local Games and Storytelling Experiences with Libraries, co-authored by Benjamin Stokes, Eric Schoenborn (me), Hazel Arroyo, Meagan Couture, […]
At the United Nations: Low-Tech Game Design
I’m heading to the United Nations for a convening on games and the Sustainable Development Goals with Games for Change. My brief talk tomorrow will advocate for “Low-Tech Beyond Our Walls.” My pitch is that all cities and towns should be able to make their own games for engagement in public space. The vision is […]
Video and learning guide for public libraries with WebJunction
We are proud to release the video recording of our lecture for librarians on “Engaging Beyond Our Walls: Libraries connecting communities through outdoor games and stories.” More than 900 librarians signed up for the original event on Sept. 26 hosted by WebJunction, and thousands more are expected to watch as part of professional development. We […]
A Visit with the Local Designers: Spencer County, Kentucky’s Playful Challenge to Survive 1824
For this story we flew to Kentucky to interview the makers of an amazing story game that was created as part of our EBOW program (Engaging Beyond Our Walls). Written by Eric Schoenborn, a PhD student researcher at American University. In July 2024, I visited our EBOW partners in Spencer County, Kentucky. I got a […]
A Visit with the Local Designers: Brookings, South Dakota (and Wilmot!)
For this story we flew to South Dakota to interview the makers of an amazing story game that was created as part of our EBOW program (Engaging Beyond Our Walls). Written by Eric Schoenborn, a PhD student researcher at American University. It was said When Wilmot Brookings, the namesake of South Dakota’s fourth largest city, […]
Webinar with WebJunction/OCLC on “Engaging Beyond Our Walls”
Register to join us on September 26th, 2024, at 3pm ET for a webinar with WebJunction — one of the largest hubs for library practitioners. This is a new effort to share our findings from the EBOW Project: Engaging Beyond Our Walls. Tens of thousands of libraries rely on WebJunction for resources and professional development […]
Join us at Games for Change 2024
This month at the Games for Change Festival in NYC, we will be giving a talk and hosting a birds-of-a-feather around “Playful Cities – neighborhood games and interactive stories” — especially with libraries and cultural institutions. June 27-28, 2024. (1) Featured talk: “59 Cities with History” Benjamin Stokes will give our talk on “59 Cities […]
Peabody Awards: Broadening Recognition
Last week included a historic night on the stage at the Peabody Awards — and for the field of interactive! In brief, I flew out to LA on June 9 to attend the red carpet award show. I was there as a member of the jury, and specifically the Interactive Board. Here we are pictured: […]