The Resistance: Avalon

Players: 5-10

Playtime: 30+ minutes

Manufacturer: Publisher Services Inc

How it works: Some players are good (decided by picking cards) and others are evil.  The goal is for the good to finish a mission of Merlin.  The goal of the evil is to halt the mission.  The person who draws the Merlin card knows who is good and who is evil but can not tell.  He can only use his eye contact and disguised gestures to attempt to warn the good of who is evil.  Evil knows who else is evil, so they can together work towards the failure of the mission.  Deciding who goes on missions is done through each person’s opinions and votes.  If the mission goes with an evil person on it, it will fail.  Though, this failure will give clues to who is evil.  It may sound complicated, but after a round or two of actually playing, it is not hard to pick up.

Critical Evaluation:

The cards themselves are works of art.  Each features a character that is good, evil, or Merlin.  In advanced generations of play, there is also the evil Morgana card.  The cards are drawn beautifully and clearly denote whether you have been chosen to fight on the side of evil of good.

There are a lot of instructions, but they are clear enough that when it comes time to play, it can be done without too much hassle.  In addition to the cards, there are voting chips and a small board that keeps track of failed and successful missions.

The game is heavy on interpretation of people’s actions and deduction of people’s choices and actions.  That makes this a game that may make introverts uncomfortable.  They will be asked about the reasoning behind making their choices and they will be forced to a lot of unwanted eye contact.  Others will love this game for the psychological warfare that is played out.

 There is also a script to be read at the beginning of the game.  All the players eyes are closed, and the script informs the evil character to raise their thumbs.  The script then allows Merlin to open his eyes, so he can see who is evil.  Then the evil characters can open their eyes to see who else is evil.  The script is written in a lyrical prose that is reminiscent of medieval times which gives the game a fun start and puts the players in the right mood.

Curriculum Ties: Could be used in a unit on good and evil.  After playing teachers can ask “How does evil work?” And students can respond based on what they saw during their time playing.  It could also be used in a psychology course on noting peoples unconscious tells like in Poker.

Teen Talk:

How do you define good?

How do you define evil?

Is it always black and white?

 Interest Age: 13+

Why did you pick this for your collection?

I played this for the first time as an adult and was incredibly uncomfortable.  I don’t do well with eye contact or accusing people of being good or evil.  Even if its just a game.  My coworkers loved the game.  They would pull it out whenever we had a break and they were so engaged and delighted.  Years later, the game would pop up again at a friend’s party.  I only observed, but I could see that this was a game that these people had played often over the years and kept coming back to.  I don’t know if teens would like it, but I would love to watch them play.  I think that they could become equally as obsessed as my co workers and friends.  I also like that its kept in a small box.  Space is often an issue in libraries and the less space a game takes up, the better.

NBA 2K18

Players: Single player or multiplayer

Developer: Visual Concepts

Publisher: 2K Sports

Console Availability: Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, and Xbox 360

Release Date: September 19, 2017

Players Annotation: Take your basketball skills to the next level. Jump into the game.

Critical Evaluation:

This highly anticipated game is a simulation game that depicts the NBA (National Basketball Association).  There are several game modes available for play including team-managing MyGM and MyLeague modes and MyCareer, where the player creates and plays through the career of their own creation.  The game’s goal is to be as realistic as possible.  The depiction of the players is incredibly life like and the graphics are well done.

One downside is the use of advertisers in the virtual reality aspect of the game.  A game should be for entertainment, not for brand promotion.  In some ways this isn’t surprising considering basketball players are used to promote brands in advertising quite frequently.

A feature that reflects the age we are living in is the face scan option to create your character.  To do so you need the MyNBA2K18 app downloaded onto a compatible iOS or Android device.  Additionally, this can only be done with the PS4, XB1, and PC versions of NBA 2K18. These are limitations, but when possible you are capable of inserting yourself into the game and playing in the NBA.  Of course with face scanning there are always glitches. You can check out some of the humorous mix ups below.  The video also shows other glitches found in the game. Based on the number of views on the video this game series has a cult following.

Interest Age: 10+

Challenge issues: Adults often seem to think that libraries are solely for books and that teens should be sitting quietly and politely.  Having video games accessible for teens to play is a source of contention in the library.

Defensive Maneuver: 

In this case, the defense would be a little different, it wouldn’t be for the game itself, but for it’s place in the library.  It’s best to know as much about your library and the town in this situation.  The library I currently work at does not have a community center.  So when patrons complain that teens are to loud, we like to stand up for the teens and say that because there is no town community center, the library is a safe place for them to socialize and play video games.  We then direct the patron to the areas of the library which are dedicated quiet areas.

Why did you pick this for your collection?

I don’t know much about video games, but there was a lot of hype about this game when it came out.  So, for this blog I decided to investigate further.  My boyfriend is the Youth Services Director at the local YMCA and this video game was a must have for the teens that hang out in his teen area.  He has tried to play and says that it’s confusing.  He did not elaborate on it much, but I think with so many modes, unless you have been consistently following the gaming series, it may be confusing at times.  To me, this seems like just another sport game, but for those dedicated to series, it is the latest and most evolved game.  For that, it should be added to the collection or provided for teens to play (where budget allows).