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Teen Tech Week: More Than Just a Game

March 13, 2013 by Karen Jensen, MLS   2 comments

If you were to ask me to make a list of my Top 10 books, one of the books on that list would be Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card.  I know that a lot of people are not fans of Card the author because of some of the statements he has made in the press (there is an overview of that discussion at Salon.com last week), but I am a fan of some of this book.  Ender’s Game has never let me down as a go to rec for male and female readers alike who are looking for some fast paced science fiction with a touch of heart.  And it is definitely a great read for Teen Tech Week.  But Ender’s Game is not the only book out there about video gaming gone bad.

Take 5: More Than Just a Game
What happens when you can’t get out of the game?

Erebos by Ursula Pozananski
Some games won’t let you stop playing, so it is better not to even start.  Unfortunately for 16-year-old Nick, he didn’t take that advice and now he is sucked in to an online game that appears to know things about him, almost like the game is watching him.  Fast paced, thriller and right on target for today’s gaming teens, a must read.
Insignia by S. J. Kincaid
Like Ender’s Game, Insignia is the story of a war fought by video games and technology, except here the teens involved absolutely know they are soldiers.  But there are some things they don’t know, and those things matter.  Tom wanders from casino to casino with his dad winning just enough to survive on virtual games when he is recruited to the cause. 
Brain Jack by Brain Faulkner
Vegas is destroyed, gone in a terrorist attack.  And the drug of choice is an online game.  Sam Wilson will do anything for a headset and to get him into the game, but once he is in he might wish he had never entered.  Once you enter in, your mind is linked to the system.
Doomed by Tracy Deebs
Beat the game, save the world.  Pandora receives a link to an online game where she releases a global virus that plunges the world into a panic never seen before.  The only way to restore the world as we know it is to beat the game.

BZRK by Michael Grant
I mentioned it in an earlier TTW post, but BZRK falls into this category as well. Also, it is the start of a new series that should prove to be really popular combining video games, nano-technology and evil geniuses trying to take over the world through politics.  What is not to love?

Filed under: Collection Development, Reader's Advisory, Technology, Teen Tech Week, Uncategorized, Video Games

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About Karen Jensen, MLS

Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).

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Comments

  1. Ender's Game was not high on my list. I really didn't like it. I seem to be in the minority. I found it long and boring and had a really hard time getting through it. I also could not connect with any of the characters and found it unrealistic.

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