The first National Games Day powered up in 2007 when Jenny Levine and Scott Nicholson attempted to set a world record for the most people simultaneously playing the same video game at libraries across the U.S. People enjoyed the event so much that the creators repeated it and networked with libraries outside the country, and by 2012, it stretched into International Games Week. With momentum high, in 2022, gamers took over the entire month and now proudly proclaim November as International Games Month. To date, more than 10,000 libraries have registered and hosted game events across 54 countries and on all seven continents.

Teamwork makes IGM possible. IGM is volunteer-run, but organized by ALA’s Games & Gaming Round Table (GameRT) in partnership with the Australian Library and Information Association, Nordic Game Week, Finnish Game Week, and the Italian Library Association. It is partly sponsored by game publishers. IGM is free, and libraries only need to host a single gaming event during November to participate. Let’s play!

BENEFITS OF GAMES

GameRT is a thriving forum that brings together both librarians and non-librarians who are interested in games. The GameRT network promotes gaming resources and supports community engagement efforts and library outreach, while also being a central voice that advocates for the continued support of gaming and play in libraries and schools. GameRT’s website hosts a trove of game-related resources that can help kick-start or expand gaming events during IGM.

Libraries are committed to bringing people a wide format of materials, and games fit right into that scope. Games attract new users to libraries and help expose them to other library offerings and services. Games foster community and further position libraries as vital third places where people gather and socialize outside of school and work. Board games, video games, and card games are highly social activities and are a painless way to teach team-building skills.

The Association for Middle Level Education endorses gaming because game play supports teen development by rewarding competency, encouraging self-expression, and providing an opportunity for self-definition. Beyond those outcomes, here are some other great benefits and reasons to include games in library collections, compiled from various sources:

• Games promote literacy-building activities such as reading, content creation, and writing.
• Games increase verbal communication and promote language skills through peer learning.
• Games can promote critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Games teach people how to follow procedural directions.
• Some games can encourage exercise.
• Games occur in a practice space, where people can experience failure without real-world consequences.
• Games can improve moods, promote relaxation, and ease stress.
• Games teach the joys of play for play’s sake.

SELECTING GAMES

Game designers make games for all age groups and in a variety of formats. They can be single-player or multiplayer as well as analog or digital. Building a library game collection can be fun, and GameRT offers advice on selecting games for all audiences.

GameRT members support activities that bring games into school lesson plans. They compiled a list of games that are well-suited for the classroom. It is organized by player age groups and sometimes also by academic subjects. GameRT also shares more than a dozen free print-and-play games, along with directories of online print-and-play game distributors, including Asmodee, Good Little Games, and Jellybean Games. Print-and-play offerings on the IGM site include:

• The Con-Carnival, a mystery game set in the context of a traveling circus led by rumored con artists in which two-to-eight players use clues to expose the wrongdoers
• In Dreams, a single-player storytelling/journaling game in which the player details imagery created in a dream world
• The Vampire! A Retro Horror Card Game, a social deduction game for three-to-seven players in which players identify and destroy a vampire plaguing a fictional town

Throughout the web, there are sites devoted to promoting games and supporting gaming events. Here are a few to consider when planning IGM activities:

• BoardGameGeek is a one-stop shop for board game and card game content, reviews, player forums, and how-to-play ideas. Joining this online community is free, and currently there are more than 2 million registered players. Games are searchable by category, publisher, and age group. Many games are available at no cost, while others are available for purchase.
• Tabletopia is an online sandbox in which game developers can test, demonstrate, and learn to monetize games. It is also a clearinghouse of online games that are perfect for digital game nights.
• Board Game Arena is a browser-based platform for running remote board game sessions.
• Luck of Legends offers great TTRPG (tabletop role-playing game) content created by teachers and is aimed at kids ages 7–13.
• Stories RPG is a good source of RPG (role-playing game) activities.

ORGANIZING AND CURATING GAME EVENTS

Game nights or game days are fun ways to bring people into libraries to meet, play, and socialize. With a little planning, game events bring a favorable return on investment and can be repeated easily.

Audience—Who is your target audience? Knowing this will help you select age-appropriate and theme-appropriate games. Events may draw young people, tweens, teens, adults, seniors, singles, and families. Defining event participants will help you meet audience needs and do outreach to that group.

Occasion—Is this event commemorating a specific event, such as IGM, or following a particular theme? Identifying specifics will help you build a unified event.

Participants—How many people will this event draw? Some events are flexible and can accommodate drop-in players, but others may need advance registration to help you set up enough games or pair up teams.

Setup—Identify the amount of space the event will need, and prepare the area for use. Some games require table space. Some require floor space and will prompt you to relocate furniture.

Supplies—Some games have accessories such as pens, pads of paper, dice, and/or timers. Other games need equipment such as controllers. Be sure to gather supplies and test equipment before advertising an event. Having multiple copies of games is helpful in case the group needs a backup.

Snacks—Gaming is often social, and groups tend to appreciate snacks and beverages. Having light fare available might be appropriate for some events.

Game Master—In advance, define roles for staff game masters who lead the fun, provide game instructions, and solve problems throughout the event. Board in the Library’s Board Game Night 101 guide recommends having one staff person for every five players or up to 10 highly experienced players.

The Gaming Library’s Quick Tips on How to Host a Board Game Night suggests offering games that are grouped into categories the site calls fillers, thrillers, and spillers. Fillers are quick-to-learn games that guests can pick up and start as they arrive or revisit during breaks between longer games. Suggestions include Exploding Kittens and Codenames. Thrillers are main-event games that may require more time, instruction, and participation. Suggestions include Pandemic and Catan. Spillers are light, quick games to help wind down events on a fun note. Suggestions include Modern Art and Fantasy Realms.

Another strategy to consider when curating game events is to offer classic games that many are familiar with from previous play. Checkers, Chess, Monopoly, and UNO are just a few well-known favorites.

ADDING PLAYERS

Game publishers and game designers actively support IGM and have even partnered with GameRT to support game involvement at libraries by funding Game On! grants of up to $2,000 that help libraries grow their gaming collections.

The sponsors of IGM 2024 include Cards Against Humanity, TTRPGkids, Roll for Combat, Dinoberry Press, and Red Raven. Libraries can register for IGM (It’s free!) using GameRT’s online form. And as noted previously, IGM only requires libraries to run one game program during November to officially join the party. Once registered, libraries are eligible to win prizes donated by sponsoring game developers and publishers. GameRT and ALA offer a suite of logos and promotional materials, in a number of languages and for different geographic regions, to help promote IGM.

Libraries and gamers can follow IGM activities on X using @ala_gamert and with the #ALAIGM hashtag to share stories on X, Instagram, and Facebook. GameRT also maintains a weekly blog on its homepage to share game ideas and discussions. Interested in IGM stickers, tote bags, water bottles, and T-shirts? Head to ALA’s store and pick up some themed merch.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT RESOURCES FOR LIBRARIANS

GameRT members are committed to offering professional development resources to library staffers who are interested in bringing games into library programming. Activities include in-person events at the ALA Annual Conference, such as ALA Play, a game night and networking meetup where game publishers demonstrate new games to librarians; the GameRT President’s Program, a conference panel focused on gaming in libraries; and Gaming Lounge, a hands-on space where librarians can try games and visit game publishers’ expo booths.

Additionally, GameRT runs webinars on a range of topics that help librarians jump-start game outreach at libraries, as well as live streams on YouTube and Twitch. Visit the GameRT site to check out recorded past sessions and learn about upcoming events. See games.ala.org/event-guide, games.ala.org/webinar-recordings, and games.ala.org/events.

GameRT actively collaborates with game designers on professional development events such as:

• Learn & Play—Hour-long presentations covering a specific game followed by a play session
• Low Stress High Mayhem—Events during which game designers and game publishers run tabletop role-playing game sessions with librarians while discussing the game for virtual audiences

Looking to expand, GameRT is working to establish travel grants to ALA’s annual conference to support library staff development and to create opportunities for game developers to teach librarians skills to run game jams, i.e., events focused on creating and developing games.

FURTHER READING

Playing Games in the School Library: Developing Game-Based Lessons and Using Gamification Concepts by Sarah Pavey

Let’s Roll: A Guide to Setting Up Tabletop Role-Playing Games in Your School or Public Library by Lucas Maxwell

Games and Gamification in Academic Libraries edited by Stephanie Crowe and Eva Sclippa

52 Ready-to-Use Gaming Programs for Libraries edited by Ellyssa Kroski