Tag Archives: Go

Game Night at the Library on Monday, November 11

For thousands of years, games such as Chess and Go gave been used to improve strategic and tactical skills in players. While nearly everyone is familiar with Monopoly (first copyrighted in 1934), it has almost no strategic element and poorly mimics real business because it is “in fact, is a classic example of what economists call a zero-sum game.”1

Enter a new generation of board games designed to reflect how humans actually interact with one another in challenging situations. Writing in Harvard Business Review, Andrew Innes explains that “a board game is a tiny universe: The rules are the laws of physics or social norms, the board is the physical environment, cards often function as resources or catalysts, dice provide a dollop of randomness. And those little pawns? They’re you and me.”2 Not only do the new board games more closely mirror the real worlds of human interaction, they can educate by “forcing us into the spotlight, making us communicate in unusual and uncomfortable ways, or encouraging us to take giant lateral leaps in thinking.”2

Join the Library in the Gallery area on Monday, November 11 from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, as we explore and play two of the most popular of the new generation of strategic-cooperative games. Catan and Pandemic. No experience is needed, and we will begin by with an overview of each game. For players who prefer the classic games of strategy, high-quality Go and chess sets will be on hand.

For more information about this event, please contact Harold Henkel at harohen@regent.edu.

1WIRED Staff, “Monopoly Killer: Perfect German Board Game Redefines Genre,” Wired (Conde Nast, June 4, 2017), https://www.wired.com/2009/03/mf-settlers/?currentPage=2.

2IAndrew Innes, “What Board Games Can Teach Business,” Harvard Business Review, March 19, 2015, https://hbr.org/2015/01/what-board-games-can-teach-business.

 

Hone your Strategic Thinking this Summer

When two tigers fight, what is left is
one dead tiger and one wounded one.
-Chinese Proverb

Traditional Go equipment, made of natural materials like wood, slate, clamshell or white stone, adds to the beauty of the game.

Still looking for a rewarding summer project? Consider learning the ancient game of Go.

Go is a board game that originated in China over 2,500 years ago. Like chess, Go has always been valued as a tool for developing strategic thinking, but the mentalities required for success in the two games could hardly be more different.

Chess is a game of decisive battle. Each player strives to capture the opponent’s king by annihilating his capacity to resist. In contrast, the object of Go is to build and control more territory on the board. While chess tends to reward daring, Go rewards patience.

Unlike chess, which is concerned exclusively with the strategic mentality of warfare, Go is a closer metaphor of business or international relations.. Experience and judgement are essential, and greed is punished.

Go writer Peter Shotwell writes that “Japanese executives learned to look at the national and international corporate worlds as Go boards and designed many of their strategies accordingly…One should try to win, but that had to involve allowing the opponent to win something too, because all-out fights might destroy both competitors.”*

The Library has a good-quality beginning Go set in front of the reference desk. Learning this ancient and rich game will give you insight into the psychology and strategic thinking of countries like China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, where Go is part of the cultural heritage.

Intrigued? Check out this short tutorial on the rules:

https:youtu.begECcsSeRcNo

If you are interested in learning to play Go, contact Harold Henkel at harohen@regent.edu for suggestions on getting started.

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*Peter Shotwell, Go! More Than a Game, (Ruland, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2003), xi.
http:library.regent.edurecord=b1545173~S0

Image Credit: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/494762709037943549/

 

Join the Library Go-playing community in 2015

 

“There is chess in the western world, but Go is incomparably more subtle and more intellectual.” -Lee Sedol, World #1 ranked player “There is chess in the western world, but Go is incomparably more subtle and more intellectual.” -Lee Sedol, World #1 ranked player

“The board is a mirror of the mind of the player as the moments pass. When a master studies the record of a game he can tell at what point greed overtook the pupil, when he became tired, when he fell into stupidity, and when the maid came by with the tea.”

-An anonymous Go player

To be successful in any important undertaking, you need a strategy, so why not include learning the world’s greatest strategic game in your resolutions for 2015?

Go, which originated in China more than 2,500 years ago, has been called a gift to the world from Chinese civilization. Go offers even novice players benefits in strategic thinking not available from other games, even chess. Principal among these are patience, judgment, and balance. As in life, moderation is essential for success, and greed is punished.

To encourage the Regent community to learn and play this great game, the Library has placed a new Go set on a table in the reference area. This set features large stones in traditional jujube wood bowls and a 9 x 9 board, the size used in China, Japan, and Korea to introduce the game to children and beginners.

For more information and recommendations for learning to play, contact Harold Henkel at harohen@regent.edu.

http:youtu.beirGmbwqqUNs

Games in Academic Libraries

by Jason Stuart, Reference Librarian

Relax while improving you understanding of strategy by playing Go at the Library. Relax while improving you understanding of strategy by playing Go at the Library.

Games in academic libraries… really? It seems like a topic more suited to public libraries, and some may even disagree with their place in that context. But there are times when games are appropriate in academia, and some of them may surprise you.

First though, a bit of definition of what is meant by games. This article takes the broad stance of referring to games: classic card games, social games (e.g. charades), board games, role-playing games, video games, and just about anything else one might consider a game.

Games as learning

Can games teach? Sure they can! Instead of a library tour, why not a scavenger hunt? Unlike other media, games typically put the player in the midst of dilemmas and have them actively engaged rather than passively observing. This mode of learning opens up a wealth of possibilities.

But what do they teach? Well, card and board games can be used for math and game theory. Video games can go even further, covering many subjects, such as chemistry or history. Video games also often contain the important element of narrative. Just as with books and films, video games are imbued with philosophy, culture, and a variety of beliefs and concepts just waiting for analysis by academic researchers such as psychologists and anthropologists. The narrative element in video games can be used by literature and communications students for studying story-structuring.

Games as quality of life enhancers

Playing a game allows students to have fun, interact socially, and take their minds off things; they also provide an outlet for channeling frustration and relieving stress. Unlike tests, papers, and projects, which generally permit only one or two attempts, games take pressure off the player by allowing as many attempts as necessary to achieve success.

Funding issues

Even faculty and students who agree that games have a place in academic libraries may also feel that the cost of collecting them will reduce the available funds for more important resources. So how do academic libraries typically acquire them? Well, some schools can justify the cost because they offer courses on game design or games and learning. Otherwise, grants and especially donations are common. Sometimes even student organizations devote some of their funds to purchasing games. Where there is a will, there is a way.

 Further Reading

Kim, Bohyun. “Harnessing the power of game dynamics.” College & Research Libraries News 73, no. 8 (September 2012): 465-469. Education Source, EBSCOhost (http:0-search.ebscohost.com.library.regent.edulogin.aspx?direct=true&db=eue&AN=79730290&site=ehost-live)

Salter, Anastasia. “Games in the Library,” Chronicle of Higher Education, December 13, 2011. http:chronicle.comblogsprofhackergames-in-the-library37667.

Go comes to the Library Reference Desk

When two tigers fight, what is left is
one dead tiger and one wounded one.
-Chinese Proverb

Expand your horizons by learning Go. Expand your horizons by learning Go.

Go (Chinese: wéiqí, Japanese: igo, Korean: baduk, common meaning: “surrounding game”) is a board game that originated in China more than 2,500 years ago. Go is widely understood to occupy the position in China, Japan, and Korea that chess does in the West.

Go and chess are both preeminently games of strategy, but the nature of play and the temperament required for success could hardly be more different: While the object of chess is to checkmate the opponent’s king, the object of Go is to control more territory on the board. Chess favors daring and calculation, Go patience and judgment.

It has become widely appreciated in the West that that some understanding and experience with Go can provide insights into the psychology and strategic thinking of countries where Go is part of the cultural heritage. Peter Shotwell, for example, writes that “Japanese executives learned to look at the national and international corporate worlds as Go boards and designed many of their strategies accordingly…One should try to win, but that had to involve allowing the opponent to win something too, because all-out fights might destroy both competitors.”*

The Library has placed a Go set on the Reference Desk that we hope will act as a catalyst for some of our patrons to learn about this rich and even beautiful game. Go will not only teach you another way of looking at strategy and success, but also provide an experience of one of the great arts of China, Japan, and Korea.

Intrigued? Check out this trailer for a forthcoming documentary about Go:

http:youtu.beirGmbwqqUNs

If you are interested in learning to play Go, contact Harold Henkel at 757-352-4198 or harohen@regent.edu for suggestions on getting started.

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*Peter Shotwell, Go! More Than a Game, (Ruland, VT: Tuttle Publishing, 2003), xi.
http:library.regent.edurecord=b1545173~S0