GET YOUR GAME ON

RODNEY MCELVEEN, MSLIS ELECTRONIC & TECHNOLOGIES LIBRARIAN

& MARY DANIELS YOUTH SERVICES COORDINATOR

BENEFITS OF GAMING:ACCESSIBILITY•Youth of all ages enjoy e-gaming•Getting tweens and teens in the library is a challenge; e-gaming is one of the best ways to get teenagers into the library, many for the first time.**Navarrette, Ruben. "Do Video Games Belong in Libraries?" CNN. Cable News Network, 15 Aug. 2013. Web. 25 Jan. 2014.

BENEFITS OF GAMING:TECHNOLOGICAL LITERACY •Gaming teaches technological literacy by giving adults and children free access to gaming in a safe place•MPL seeks to Envision Excellence through this program

BENEFITS OF GAMING: GET THE OLDER KIDS!•MPL has strong children’s program: weekly story time program averages 200; Summer Reading Program drew 1,500 people last year! •Gaming brings in kids of all ages, including the “drop-off age” in library attendance. Even our most inaccessible demographic—teen boys—come to MPL for e-gaming

RETRO GAMING•Retro Gaming: set up old gaming systems like Atari 2600, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64. •It’s an opportunity to educate the younger attendees about the history of video games and technology, but all ages love this program.

RETRO GAMING•Play some fun music from the 70’s and 80’s for atmosphere•Use books, magazines, and other resources from within the library to make some fun displays•Wear “retro” themed t-shirts or costumes…make a day of it!

GAMING IN THE LIBRARY: TOURNAMENTS•MPL hosts grant-sponsored e-gaming tournaments, including:• Super Smash Bros. Brawl on Wii (our most

successful tournament to date with over 50 attendees)•XBox360’s Injustice: Gods Among Us (for

older kids and teens)

HOW TO PLAN A TOURNAMENT1. Locate working gaming systems, controllers, and popular game, like Super Smash Bros. Brawl

2. Have snacks and prizes: Gift cards from local business or gaming stores

3. Use built-in tournament mode, if available! 4. If not, have each player sign up on game

sheet

5. Include mini-tournaments to allow people who wander in to compete6. Have champions from all the mini-tournaments compete against each other in a Championship Round to determine the ultimate winner.7. Make a big deal of winning! Parents particularly like to photograph their child winning the tournament.

HOW TO PLAN A TOURNAMENT

E-GAMING IN THE LIBRARY: MARKETING•Since the advent of this program, MPL has seen a 140% increase in the attendance of our tournaments!• Email blasts to our patrons•Web and social media outlets, such as the library’s

Facebook, Twitter, and Meetup.com• Provide flyers and bookmarks•Discuss at existing programs • Reach out to area schools

BENEFITS OF GAMING: SUMMARY •Gaming gets youth in sync with STEM-based (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education•Gaming gives kids and their parents/guardians a free, safe, indoor place to spend time together. • Improved motor skills, lateral thinking, problem solving, and socialization are achieved through gaming•Draws kids and teens of all ages to library