The Good, the Bad and the Ugly- Librarians in Video Games
Today’s post has been written by Neil Marshall (Assistant Librarian for the Faculty of Education).
Just like other forms of cultural expression, video games provide a prism through which we can view society. This blog post will examine how libraries and librarians appear — the good, the bad and the downright ugly — in this medium.
The Phatt Island librarian in Monkey Island 2 (LucasArts(1), 1991) was the ultimate stereotype, constantly shushing patrons whilst the bespectacled grouch wheeled around the room in her chair, accessing the card files that only she could interpret. Obviously, nobody like that works here.
The Phatt Island librarian may have been a little intimidating but she was nothing compared to what we find in Dragon Age: Inquisition (BioWare Edmonton(1), 2014). Here, the influence of library closures have taken their effect on the librarians of the Vir Dirthara. Once benign spirits, they have been driven mad and twisted into demons of fear. They now hunt anyone who dares walk the halls of the shattered library.
However, the Russian State Library in Metro 2033 (4A Games(1), 2010) is the setting for perhaps the scariest vision of a librarian. The books contained within contain rare and precious knowledge, lost to a world ravaged by nuclear war. Collecting these books proves hazardous due to the presence of the Librarians:
“Listen, Artyom, librarians are some of the most dangerous creatures out here. If you meet one, or two God forbid, don’t fight it; but don’t run from it, either. The beasts won’t attack if you look them in the eye. Remember: never let them out of your sight. Show them your back, you die! If a beast gets nervous, move away, but slowly. And if you shoot… well, look or don’t look, you won’t see anything ever again”.
Dystopian, post-apocalyptic games, such as the Fallout series (Bethesda Game Studios, 2008) can also show us how changes in the world of libraries, such as the commercialisation of public libraries, may affect us:
Its sequel, Fallout 4 (Bethesda Game Studios, 2016), offers some possible advice for libraries trying to get users to return books. Overdue books can be returned to a number of units throughout the Greater Boston area for tokens, which can be redeemed for ‘fun items’, some of which are very useful to someone trying to survive in a world filled with mutants and raiders, such as grenades.
Despite the dark times we live in being reflected in games, there is also a ray of hope. The players of Cities: Skylines (Colossal Order, 2015), a city building game, are able to create their own content. One creative individual decided to give us a more realistic view of what a library can offer…
“This is a public library that your sims will happily visit to read books, use computers, host book clubs, and do other book things. The kids really love it, because they can see some “special guests” like the Cat in the Hat or Mother Goose for some readings and skits… So much they actually can maybe learn something from it!” (Althazar, 2016: Online).
References
4A Games(1) (2010) Metro 2033. PC. [Game] Agoura Hills: THQ.
4A Games(2) (2010) Librarian in Metro 2033. [Online Image] [Accessed on 11th January 2019] http://metrovideogame.wikia.com/wiki/Librarian#2033
Althazar (2016) Civil Mania!: JazzAge Tileset. [Online] [Accessed on 11th January 2019] https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=723490964
Bethesda Game Studios (2008) Fallout 3. Xbox 360. [Game] Rockville: Bethesda Softworks.
Bethesda Game Studios (2016) Fallout 4. PC. [Game] Rockville: Bethesda Softworks.
BioWare Edmonton(1) (2014) Dragon Age: Inquisition. PC. [Game] Redwood City: Electronic Arts.
BioWare Edmonton(2) (2014) Shattered Library in Dragon Age. [Online Image] [Accessed on 11th January 2019] http://dragonage.wikia.com/wiki/Shattered_Library
Colossal Order. (2015) Cities: Skylines. PC. [Game] Stockholm: Paradox Interactive.
LucasArts(1) (1991) Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck’s Revenge. PC. [Game] San Francisco: LucasArts.
LucasArts(2) (1991) Phatt Island Library. [Online Image] [Accessed on 11th January 2019] http://monkeyisland.wikia.com/wiki/File:Phatt_island_library.jpg
