Page 164 - AC/E Digital Culture Annual Report

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is but one pastime in a buffet spread that fea- tures other dishes like TV programmes, com- puter games, sports and many other attractive forms of entertainment. And, as we have com- mented earlier, all these alternatives compete for precious free time in between work and school.
Figure 23. Quest trading cards.
Source: https://anaordas.com/2017/03/04/3- ejemplos-de-gamificacion-en-bibliotecas/
The public libraries of Singapore took this reali- sation as a starting point to design and develop an activity with a strong visual element. Quest is conceived as a project aimed at youngsters who are put off reading somehow because they regard it as hard work. Therefore, picture cards with manga-style illustrations on one side and a story on the other that children can swap are used to arouse their interest in books.
The trading cards are based on a fantastical story and feature many elements from the world of videogames and manga. By collecting them, children can read about the adventure of the Dragon Quest or the Starflight Express.
The main character in the adventure, Ethan, has a mission: to find the eyes of a dragon statue
in order to free the inhabitants of this fantasy world. The collection of cards recreates the story and readers can collect them every time they borrow a book from a library; when they have all sixty cards they can read part of the adventure.
In connection with this major challenge, Sin- gapore’s libraries organised a range of writing and drawing activities and use web platforms
for downloading material linked to the Quest challenge.
According to the promoters, the effect was fast and intense. A total of 70,000 people took part, three-quarters of them boys. As many as 1.33 million Quest trading cards had been given out within less than a year of the launch of the campaign. As a result, more than two million loans were generated from Singapore’s public libraries.
The publishing world also regards the play factor as a means of encouraging new readers, providing new ways of working, and promoting reading.184
A project launched by Edelvives publishers’ comprehensive reading service attests to this intention to explore new avenues. Ta-Tum is a gamified reading platform offered to schools as a tool for encouraging primary- and second- ary-level children to read.
Figure 24. Ta-Tum. Libros que laten. Source: https:// www.edelvives.com/es/proyectos-educativos/sile
Schoolchildren are invited to set up an investiga- tive group and become detectives who attempt to solve mysteries and enigmas based on literary cases. The platform includes a selection of read- ing materials and allows teachers to customise the game by adapting it to their school and the group of children they work with. And mediators can modify it with their own proposals and add new challenges that enable their students to obtain rewards and prizes. The promotional video provides further information about this service.185
STRATEGIES/APPROACHES FOR GIVING IMPETUS TO READING
Readers in the digital age