Teens compete in virtual battle of bands

Ethan Mattice, 12, rode his scooter through the rain to the Carson City Library on Friday afternoon from his house on Pratt Street.

Some days he comes to check out books, but on Friday, he came to sing.

"Eye of the Tiger" was his first choice.

"That's a song we all really know," he said.

Teens formed themselves into groups of three to compete in the library's first Xbox 360 Rock Band Tournament.

Ethan teamed up with his brother, Zach, 14, and friend Cedric Ilan, 13, to rock out to Rock Band 2, where contestants play drums, guitar and sing as part of an interactive video game.

"In the first round, we didn't do so well," Zach said. "But the first round is just practice."

The Mattice brothers don't have an Xbox or the Internet at home, so they come to the library.

Susie King, youth services librarian, said it is part of a national trend to bring gaming into libraries.

"It can seem like an oxymoron, but the concept behind it is to attract teens to the library then they'll participate in some of the more traditional library things as well," she said. "There's a lot of positive things in bringing kids together for different organized events."

A few years ago, the library hosted a Dance Dance Revolution competition. On Nov. 15, it participated in the National Gaming Day.

King said the library plans to have more frequent gaming competitions.

"We'd like to do it every other month," she said.

Chances are, Cedric will be there.

His father works nearby and drops Cedric off at the library to read and check his

MySpace, then picks him up at the end of the day.

"I live in Dayton, and there's not much to do there," he said. "I come here because I'm bored and stuff."

Kendra Valladon, 15, a teen library volunteer, helped organize the event.

"Most kids stay as far away as they can from libraries," she said. "This is a way to show them there's more fun stuff that goes on here."

- Contact reporter Teri Vance at tvance@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1272.