International Games Day @ your library is an annual initiative of the American Library Association to reconnect communities through their libraries around the educational, recreational and social value of all types of games. Now in its fifth year, this community event has brought more than 100,000 people together to play games over the last four years.
On Saturday, November 3—that's tomorrow!—more than 1,000 libraries from all 50 U.S. states and countries such as Australia, India, Japan, the Philippines and the United Kingdom, will once again hold a variety of gaming activities that include board games (both classics and the more social modern titles), video games, mobile games, card games, and more. In addition, libraries can compete against each other in two international video game tournaments playing Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart time trials.
If you haven’t attended a Games Day event at your library yet, you may be in for a surprise:many libraries are offering a game experience you won’t find elsewhere in your community. For example, some libraries are running life-size versions of games like chess, CandyLand, Clue, Tic-Tac-Toe, Yahtzee, and more.
Other libraries are running LARPs, role playing games, pen and paper games, and even mini golf in the library. And it’s not just for the kids. Families are invited to play together, and some events are targeted at adults (trivia contests, Halo tournaments) and even seniors (Wii bowling). Participating libraries are even running a day-long game of Global Gossip (Americans know the game as Telephone) where a phrase will be transmitted from location to location around the world to see how the information mutates as it moves internationally.
Find out if your library is participating in this year’s event by checking the map. If they aren’t participating this year, help them plan an event for next November. Libraries welcome your help and expertise in teaching people new titles and types of games.
