It was the winning moment of the inaugural speed puzzling tournament at Mid-Columbia Libraries (MCL) in southeastern Washington last January. Piece Out triumphed over 46 other teams—with names like The Misfits, Separation Anxiety, and Planet Fit This—in the competition, which coincided with National Puzzle Day, January 29. “People really liked to take [a victory] away … Continue reading Racing the Clock
In honor of International Games Month, held every November, these stories center games and gaming as community-building, teaching, and self-improvement tools. Learn how libraries are developing tabletop role-playing games and using new adaptive technologies to make videogames more accessible for all. Check out the 2025 Platinum Play, or “Platy,” Hall of Fame inductees—games honored by … Continue reading State of Play
While game jams—accelerated game creation events—started as a way to develop videogames, they’re also useful for creating tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs). The best-known TTRPGs, like Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Call of Cthulhu, include rule books that can run to hundreds of pages and have steep price tags, but there are a host of smaller, … Continue reading Jam Forever
“The only way to reach out to the world was through this very cool gaming setup that the hospital would bring into the room,” he recalled. An in-game friend “became my solace in a place where every day they were hurting me and I was scared.” Spohn, director of the Mount Sinai Back to Life … Continue reading Adaptive Arcade
The 2025 inductees are: Car Wars 2–8 players 30 minutes and up Ages 10+ Now in its sixth edition, the tabletop combat simulation game Car Wars has a simple premise: Each player has a heavily armed and customized vehicle, and the last one standing is the winner. The game has a rich history of add-ons … Continue reading 2025 Platy Hall of Fame Inductees
Harmeyer—who holds the 12th-longest consecutive winning streak of any player on the show—spoke with American Libraries about her longtime love of the game, her least favorite category, and how she blazed her path to the 2025 Jeopardy! Masters tournament. As an adolescent, you auditioned for the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament and weren’t selected. And now you’re … Continue reading Q&A with Adriana Harmeyer
The caller wanted to donate his father’s collection—not of boards or game pieces, but of the literature of checkers. “I’m thinking, ‘How much can this be?’” Sleasman remembers. The answer? Twenty-seven storage tubs. It’s all in a day’s work for Sleasman, who (along with two catalogers and two archivists) wrangles 260,000 library holdings, 3,000 linear … Continue reading Bookend: Playing Along
Spohn, the former COO of AbleGamers and current director of the Mount Sinai Back to Life Center, and Vicki Karlovsky, inclusion coordinator at Deerfield (Ill.) Public Library (DPL), discussed how libraries can bring that experience to a wider audience in “Adaptive Arcade at the Library: Video Games are for Everyone,” a June 29 session at … Continue reading Adaptive Arcade
Misinformation: It seems to be everywhere, is getting increasingly sophisticated, and can have dangerous consequences. So how do librarians adapt their instruction to keep patrons from falling for false claims? In 2022, researchers at University of Washington’s (UW) Information School and Center for an Informed Public in Seattle released the first in a set of … Continue reading Stopping the Spread
Harmeyer—who holds the 11th longest consecutive winning streak of any player on the show—spoke with American Libraries about her longtime love of the game, her least favorite category, and how she blazed her path to the Masters. As an adolescent, you auditioned for the Jeopardy! Teen Tournament and weren’t selected. And now you’re one of … Continue reading Newsmaker: Adriana Harmeyer
“[Twitch is] where gamers are,” Brown said. “That’s where we really wanted to do some outreach.” She discussed the pros and cons of using Twitch, ideas for library programs that can be livestreamed, and how the popular platform enables libraries to reach new audiences at “Low Stress, High Mayhem: Using Twitch for Professional Development and … Continue reading Playing to the Crowd
Acts of imagination include both play and creative endeavors. While play may appear to be merely a pleasurable activity, it serves an important role in human development. Creative endeavors, such as projects or everyday forms of problem-solving, give purpose and meaning to human existence. While libraries can be places for quiet contemplation and intense concentration, … Continue reading Cultivating Creativity
