Board in the Library

Jessica Jacko BarnesFrankfort Community Public Library

Addalee JernaganWilliamsport-Washington Twp. Public Library

This presentation is available online at

http://www.slideshare.net/JessicaJackoBarnes

Board Games in Public Libraries

• Educational benefits (especially for children)

• Information for board game newbies

• Programming

• Circulating collection

And why we should consider having them as part of our library collection and programming

Just because a game doesn’t require strategy doesn’tmean it isn’t educational.

Learning Opportunities

• Educational Concepts

▫ Number and shape recognition, grouping, and counting

▫ Letter recognition and reading

▫ Visual perception and color recognition

▫ Eye-hand coordination and manual dexterity

▫ Reinforces material

▫ Immagination

Learning Opportunities

• Social Concepts

▫ Verbal communication

▫ Sharing

▫ Taking turns and patience

▫ Attention span

▫ Organization

▫ Winning and losing & sportsmanship

▫ Mastery of skill

Getting gamers into the building

Tabletop Gaming

• $700 million spent in 2014

• Family and friends groups

▫ Getting people who already game into the library

• Teens in the library

• Kickstarter making it possible for a bigger variety of games

• GenCon in Indy attracted almost 57,000 people

Kids of all ages love to game.

Green Bay Packers and

Settlers of Catan

This season, several Green Bay Packers became slightly obsessed with “Settlers of Catan.” Epic game nights held at players’ homes carried over into the locker room. It became so popular that the group bought an expansion pack so that six players could play the normally four-player game.

One of the players mentioned the game on a local radio show, and the owner of Gnome Games in Green Bay was bombarded with calls about the board game.

“The game’s popularity among the Packers is due in part to the lack of other things to do in town. Green Bay is the smallest town in the NFL. ‘We’re always looking for something to do, it’s cold. No one wants to go outside, better find something,’ Flynn said. ‘And this is a great game.’”

What is Gen Con?

Gen Con is a consumer and trade experience dedicated to gaming culture and community.

Gen Con has become the largest annual consumer fantasy, electronic, sci-fi and adventure game convention in North America.

Each year gaming enthusiasts converge to share their enthusiasm for all things gaming; whether its tournaments, celebrity appearances, exhibit hall booths, electronic games, workshops, seminars, anime, art shows, auctions or countless other activities.

Game manufacturers and publishers consistently utilize Gen Con as the place to launch new games and new products, show off the latest and greatest game expansions and features, and host incredible tournaments. From world championships awarding thousands of dollars to non-professional games created by passionate enthusiasts, playing games is what it's all about.

It’s not just Monopoly anymore.

Things to Consider

• Heavy vs. Lighter games

▫ Heavier games have more interlocking systems (more steps to complete each round) and usually take longer

• Game mechanics

▫ How the game is played (for example, Monopoly is roll and move)

Types of Games

There is an infinite number of game genre and subgenres, but four basic types of game include the following categories:

• Party games

• Family games

• Euro games

• War games

Party Games

• Light games that work well with large groups of people, take less time, and require less skill than other games▫ Why Did the Chicken?▫ Apples to Apples▫ Time’s Up▫ Cluzzle▫ Wits & Wagers▫ Ubongo▫ Villa Palette

Family Games

• Introduces players to more complex games and strategy but are appropriate for all ages▫ Havoc▫ Saboteur▫ Bohnanza▫ Diamant▫ Poison▫ That’s Life▫ Ingenious▫ Blokus

Euro Games

• Called Euro games because the style of gaming orginated in Europe, mainly in Germany

• Light strategy games that take some skill and experience to master

Euro Games (light to heavy)

▫ Settlers of Catan

▫ Mystery of the Abbey

▫ Carcassone

▫ Ticket to Ride

▫ Hoity Toity

▫ Manila

▫ Lifeboat

▫ Acquire

▫ El Grande

▫ Ra

▫ Himalaya

▫ Arkham Horror

▫ Puerto Rico

▫ Tigris & Euphrates

▫ Age of Steam

▫ Power Grid

▫ Die Macher

War Games

• Tend to be heavier, take longer to play, and are conflict driven

▫ Diplomacy

▫ Wallenstein

▫ Friedrich

▫ 7 Ages

Gaming in the Library

• Teen Lock-Ins

• Special Gaming Days

▫ Table Top Gaming Day

▫ National Gaming Day

▫ Dungeon and Dragons beginners day

• In-house use

▫ Flux

• Intergenerational use in the library

In-house use board games in The Edge

Circulating Collection

• Taboo

• Clue

• Trouble

• Yahtzee

• Scrabble

• Can You Name Five?

• Chess/Checkers/Backgammon

• Yahtzee

• Jenga

• Life

• CrossWays

• Monopoly

• Connect Four

Sample MARC

LDR nrm 22 4500001 311489005 20140611145901.0008 140611s2013||||quc||| | || |||||||092 ‡ay GAME‡bMON245 10 ‡aMonopoly :‡bgame ‡h[toy].500 ‡aInstructions, gameboard, plastic money

holder, 8 player tokens, 2 dice, 1 Speedy die, 32 houses, 12 hotels, money pack, 16 community chest cards, 16 chance cards, 28 title deed cards.

500 ‡aFor 2-6 players.520 ‡aAges 8+.650 0 ‡aGames.

What I do When

• Dungeons and Dragons

• Magic: the Gathering

• Munchkin

• Risk

• Settlers of Cataan

• The Resistance

• Clue

• Superfight

• Are You a Werewolf?

• Forbidden Desert

• Every Wednesday night

• Every other Thursday

• Tuesdays

• Saturdays

• International Tabletop Day: April 11, 2015

International TableTop Day

International TableTop Day

International TableTop Day

International TableTop Day

Where to get games

• Ask patrons to bring games

• Library budget

▫ Find out how much could be spent on games to add/build library's collection

▫ Amazon

• Ask game shops to donate/sponsor programs

▫ Free promotional items

• Bring your own games

• Board Game Geek for game rules

Types of games

• Require both skill and luck (Robbins)

• Friendly to both children and adults (Robbins)

• Attract readers as well as non readers (Robbins)

• Different games for different ages

• “Provide an accessible, friendly and appropriate board gaming space for all ages and

experience levels.” (Pappas)

• Wil Wheaton's Tabletop for game ideas

Advertise

• Meetup.com to advertise games (Pappas)

• Social media

• Newspaper

• In house

Sources

2014 Global Gaming Stats

http://www.bigfishgames.com/blog/2014-global-gaming-stats-whos-playing-what-and-why/

Gen Con Attributes Record-Breaking 2014 Numbers …

http://www.gencon.com/press/2014recordattendance

Gen Con Corporate Fact Sheet

http://www.gencon.com/press/corporate

Green Bay’s Board-Game Obsession

http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-packers-of-catan-green-bays-board-game-obsession-1421346102

North American Hobby Game Market Hits an Estimated $700M

http://venturebeat.com/2014/08/18/north-american-hobby-game-market-hits-an-estimated-700m/

Sources

Scott Nicholson YouTube Channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/snicholson

Scott Nicholson – Board Games with Scott – Board Games 101

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPi_uNWUJy0

Because Play Matters Game Lab

http://becauseplaymatters.com/

5 Board Games Every Geek Should Have

http://bit.ly/1CrInK8

Teaching Board Games to Two Children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

http://bit.ly/1D4vfgy

Sources

UTILIZING INSTRUCTIONAL GAMES AS AN INNOVATIVE TOOL TO IMPROVE SCIENCE LEARNING AMONG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

http://bit.ly/1JwEqZv

Board Game Geek

www.boardgamegeek.com

Pappas, John. "Board in the Library, Part One." Webjunction. OCLC, 30 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://www.webjunction.org/webjuntion/board-in-the-library-part-one.html>.

Rinne, JD. "Host a Family Game Night." @ your library. ALA, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. <http://www.atyourlibrary.org/connectwithyourkids/game/host-family-game-night>.

Robbins, Brandon. "Wil Wheaton talks tabletop." Library Journal 138.13 (2013): 52. Print.

"The Benefits of Board Games." Scholastic. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2015. <http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/creativity-play/benefits-board-games>.

Contacts

Jessica Jacko Barnes

jbarnes@accs.net

765-654-8746

Jessica’s favorite board games are the original Trivial Pursuit, Twilight Struggle, Agricola, 1960: The Making of a President, and Settlers of Catan.

Contacts

Addalee Jernagan

ajernaga@iupui.edu

765-762-6555

Some of Addie's favorite games include: Risk, Munchkin, Magic: the Gathering, UNO, and Chutes and Ladders.