International Games Month

National Games Day was started by librarians Jenny Levine and Scott Nicholson in 2007. This free event grew out of an idea to attempt to set a world’s record for the number of people playing the same game at the same time at libraries around the world. National Games Day became International Games Day (IGD) in 2012, International Games Week (IGW) in 2017, and finally International Games Month (IGM) in 2022. It has grown to include events on all seven continents in 54 countries. Even today, it is still raising awareness of games and gaming in libraries to publishers and the public. This event has become a valuable way for libraries and their communities to join together and engage in play each year.

OTPL will celebrate International Games month this year with a game day on November 7.  Attendees of all ages can play one of our over 150 board games, race on the big screen in Mario Kart 8, or learn to play the trading card game, Magic: The Gathering.  Thanks to a generous donation from MagiKids (Magikids.org), we will be giving out free booster packs of Magic cards to attendees!  The library also hosts monthly Dungeons and Dragons game on the second Tuesday of each month.

If you'd like to learn more about International Games Month, visit https://games.ala.org/international-games-month/.

This article was written by Dan, Head of Adult Services.