For Jacob Hutton, Harford County Public Library, tabletop gaming is a fun and educational way of getting people from various backgrounds to play together. There are tabletop games for every style and every age. The three major categories that work best in the library are: trading cards,t role playing, and board games.
I focused my attention on board games which are numerous and diverse. On the one hand, there are many advantages in bringing board games into the library. The many genres make it fairly easy to find a few that will appeal to our specific users. In addition, they are a relatively low-cost investment. Once you purchase the game, you do not need to buy anything else. More importantly, players are all starting with a similar amount of resources and potential.
On the other hand, even the best board games become stale after playing them for a while. There are lots of potential pieces that can get lost, and they only allow a limited number of participants.
When choosing a game, Jacob’s advice is to keep in mind your target audience (children, teens, or adults, beginners, intermediate or advanced players), and the number of participants. If your audience is made of children and families, it is best to choose simpler games with familiar themes that will last no more than 15-20 minutes.
I noted a few of the presenter’s advice in order to run a successful program:
During the selection phase, ask your customers what kind of games they like, try the games yourself, learn the rules, and go to local stores to get recommendations. Often, they will give out games they cannot sell anymore.
During the program, have one adult in charge for each board game.
Be one of the players. It builds a bond between the players and you.
Try only one type of game at a time (i.e., only trading card games, or only board games), but have both a beginner board game and an intermediate in order to adjust to your audience’s skills.
Have a clear beginning and end time of the gaming session.
For game recommendations, reviews, and additional information, explore the following sites, all recommended by Jacob Hutton:
Exhaustive listing of children’s board games with descriptions and reviews: https://boardgamegeek.com/childrensgames/browse/boardgame
Role playing games, specifically written for young children: http://www.playgroundadventures.net/
Dragon Talk- Official Dungeons & Dragons Podcast by Wizards of the Coast:
http://dnd.wizards.com/dragon-talk/podcast-hub
http://games.ala.org/international-games-week/
Sylvie Merlier-Rowen
Children's Department. CEN
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