Guest post by Mayra Ortiz
I entered the drawings for this rare opportunity each semester since I began my MLIS journey in the Spring of 2018. I was lucky to win a ticket on my third semester. I have always been a video game enthusiast and have spent hundreds of hours playing Blizzard Entertainment games. My favorite game, which I had to cancel my subscription for to focus on school, is World of Warcraft. Thinking back to my teenage years, I would have never thought I would be visiting Blizzard Entertainment.
The tour was led by Melissa Ward, currently the Digital Asset Coordinator at Blizzard Entertainment. She gave us in a behind-the-scenes tour of the campus along with two of her colleagues. We learned that their library is growing and the need for qualified librarians and archival experts is also growing in the gaming industry. We visited their museum, departments, vault, library, and their food court. Their library contains an impressive collection of video games and their book collection includes materials that were used in research for video game content. The vault contained precious memorabilia, collectibles, as well as props from events and their recent film. Along the way, we encountered many doggies; some departments allow employees take their precious companions to work.
Throughout the campus, they have impressive statues of popular video game characters and lots of beautiful artwork. I had to fly back shortly after the tour, but I left feeling happy and fortunate to have met other information school students who shared my interests.
The following image is composed of the statue of Sylvanas blended with a photo of their library:
