Thing 20 - Gaming in Libraries

As much as I love paper-and-dice RPGs like Pathfinder, my own experience with gaming in the library has been kind of "meh". "Why is that?", you might ask. Well, for one thing, the library tried starting a monthly gaming night a few months back, and it didn't really generate much interest. I attended a few times, and there were less than half a dozen people there--including librarians. Now, there may be any number of reasons for this: competition from the daily gaming workshops down the street at the Game Preserve, ambiance, publicity, gaming options, or something else. Maybe there's just not sufficient interest in Monroe County. I really can't say.

But I do know that the idea is intriguing.

As the articles point out, there are two types of games, and I definitely have strong feelings about the value of board/tabletop games vs. video games. True, my experience with both is limited: I haven't played any board/tabletop games beyond Pathfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, and Call of Cthulhu (all RPGs) in a long time save one exception that I'll mentioned momentarily; and I haven't played computer games since Duke Nukem and Dark Forces were popular back 1997. That said, my gut reaction to video games is that, yes, some of those produced for toddlers might make learning the alphabet fun, but that sponsoring Halo and Mario Kart tournaments doesn't seem mesh well the our stated library mission...neatly. True, the library is a community center, and sponsoring video gaming tournaments for teens might get them into the library and off the sidewalks; however, I think it's important to ask: Do we simply embrace what teens like as a means in and of itself, or should we temper our enthusiasm for such programming with some consideration of the library's mission. That said, I can see the need for flexibility depending on the community.

When it comes to tabletop games, my opinion is much more positive. Two years ago I had the opportunity to attend the GenCon pre-conference for teachers and librarians in Indianapolis. GenCon is the world's largest gaming convention, and the sessions I attended focused on the role of games in the classroom and as potential library programs. Some of the takeaways from that day include:

• focus on games that place emphasis on teamwork instead of competition


• tie programs to the collection, e.g. set out books on medieval arms and armor at sword and sorcery RPG events


• have a "Library After Dark" event where patrons (i.e. teens) come in after hours on a Friday or Saturday and play games in the meeting rooms


• tabletop games that foster social skills should be emphasized--especially the aforementioned games that emphasize cooperation


• many games involve math skills, especially probability, while others test historical knowledge


• the key is to pick games that are not overtly educational; kids will see through that ruse, but when a game encourages learning that occurs "under the radar", then you're dealing with a good game for the classroom, etc

David Niecikowski was one of the presenters at the pre-conference. At his session there were four tables. We broke up into four groups. We would sit at one of the tables and play one of four games. The point of all of the games was fun, but there was learning occurring under the proverbial radar--some of it geographical and mathematical, other times it was historical. But regardless of the game, there was a social component. And it was the social nature of tabletop gaming that most intrigued me. As each participant contemplated their next move, introductions were made, questions were asked, and we collectively problem-solved. This is so much more appealing to me that the solitary experience of staring at a screen with a game controller in hand. And it's the main reason why I'm so enamored of such programming in the library. The trick, of course, is getting people interested.

In closing, I do think it's important for libraries to reach out to teens, and gaming programs seem like one avenue for doing so. It's only my opinion of course, but it seems to me that the patron life cycle begins with enjoyment of the library as a kid--perhaps because of the programs and the emphasis on readers advisory and pleasure reading--but as kids become tweens and teens, librarians too often expect kids to embrace the YA collection and reading. Consider this: the primary focus of services for children at most libraries seems to be readers' advisory-ish in nature; services for adults, on the other hand, seem to focus less on RA and more on reference and research. While some tweens and teens are bookworms, many are not. And I think teen programming can play a vital role in keeping these teens interested in the library during a time when they may be much more interested in social activities by embracing non-traditional services like gaming. Again, these are roughly formed thoughts, and I welcome comments.