Over 1200 libraries in the United States will be participating in National Gaming Day (NGD) today. The event is an initiative put on by the American Library Association (ALA) with the goal of connecting communities with their library through games. This is the fourth year that the ALA has done the event and it continues to grow in popularity.
NGD consists of virtually every type of game being hosted at the library. They have video games, board games, card games, and more. You’ll find Sorry, Settlers of Catan, Candyland (does this game ever end?), along with Yahtzee and other board games. We particularly like the twenty sided die on the poster that comes from role playing games of the past.
The idea is that library patrons can meet other members of their local community and connect with them in a fun, safe environment. Games are a natural fit for the community aspect of libraries.
Of course, libraries benefit from the natural draw of games. It’s much more enticing to go somewhere to play games than it is to do research or homework. Libraries hope that people that go to libraries and play a game have a high probability of going to the library again and using other library services. Participation in NGD is a way of spreading the word that libraries don’t just loan out books.
So head on over to a participating library. You might meet some new friends to play your favorite video game with. Or you might end up losing cause you rolled a seven and ended up on Boardwalk. While you’re there, check out all the other cool stuff that the library has to offer. They have a lot more than books. This isn’t your grandfather’s library.