Chapter Six: Looking Forward: Possibilities for Future Library Videogame Programming

Throughout this book, we have shown how the feedback loop framework incorporates iterative, interest-driven practices, and we contend that the feedback loop supports the very flexibility, customization, and innovation that will be necessary for videogame programming to evolve and respond to youth and librarian needs. Although self-monitoring activities and prompts, like the ones featured in Chapter Five, might provide a concrete structure to support self-reflection, we also suggest that the feedback loop framework can offer youth and librarians expansive opportunities for programming development.

More specifically, we suggest that reflecting through the feedback loop can help youth and librarians reconsider how they might (re)design the brick-and-mortar space. If youth and librarians examine the aspects of their videogame programming – number of youth patrons, size of the brick-and-mortar space, and the availability of current and future resources (e.g., consoles, games, furniture, other technologies) – then youth and librarians can begin to envision what their videogame programming might look like and consider if there are enough resources and ample space to accommodate the number of patrons and their interests. It is possible that, at a given moment, there is a general balance of resources, space, and interested youth and librarians; however, given that librarian positions can shift, patron bases shrink or expand, and patron interests change, there likely will be an imbalance in the future. Others might find that the library’s resources enable them to expand their youth patron base and, potentially, look to expand their programming quickly. Regardless, youth and librarians might focus on improving the available resources, asking questions, such as “How old are the gaming consoles and available games?” “What resources are in need of repair?” “Given that newer games require updated systems and strong Internet bandwidth, what will be needed to update the resources?” These and other questions are important to consider, and this chapter is dedicated to helping youth and librarians think through the various ways they can (re)design library videogame youth programming.