Category Archives: Programming

Running A Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Tournament @ Games In Libraries

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Super Smash Bros. tournaments have been popular with library users ever since the release of the first game all the way back in 1999. And they’re about to become an even more essential part of your programming schedule thanks to the recent release of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Switch.

To help you get started, the ALA’s Games In Libraries blog has published a new post providing instructions for everything you need to know to run a Super Smash Bros. Ultimate tournament, including tips for unlocking all the characters and how best to use Tourney Mode:

Want to put on a tournament of your own for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch? Here’s what you’ll need for a basic setup.

The Super Smash Bros. franchise is famous for including a lot of different gameplay options and a sample ruleset to simplify setup is also available.

International Games Week 2018 Social Media Kit @ Games In Libraries

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International Games Week 2018 is coming up next week and the ALA’s Games In Libraries blog wants to help your library prepare. They’ve put together a snazzy printable poster, as well as a bunch of ready-made social media posts:

International Games Week (IGW) is an annual celebration of games, play, libraries, and learning that any library in the world can join, and costs absolutely nothing to register for!

Use this social media kit to create posts to promote International Games Week at your library!

This year’s International Games Week will kick off on Monday, November 4, and go through Saturday, November 10.

Nintendo Will Provide Nintendo Labo Kits for Schools in US

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Nintendo has announced a new partnership with the Institute of Play to make their cardboard-powered Nintendo Labo kits available in schools across the United States:

Nintendo and the Institute of Play have teamed up to bring Nintendo Labo kits into elementary classrooms nationwide, combining the innovative play of Nintendo Labo with the basic principles of science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) to inspire kids and help make learning fun. Nintendo will provide Nintendo Labo: Variety Kits and Nintendo Switch systems to participating classrooms to reinforce skills such as communication, creativity and critical thinking. The program aims to reach approximately 2,000 students ages 8 to 11 during the 2018-2019 school year.

Nintendo Labo kits provide the tools to make DIY creations called Toy-Con, including a Fishing Rod, Piano and RC Car, among others; play games with these Toy-Con creations through a mix of physical and digital experiences; and discover how Nintendo Switch technology brings it all to life. Ever since the first two Nintendo Labo kits debuted in April, people of all ages have become amateur inventors using a mode included in the software called Toy-Con Garage. Toy-Con Garage introduces basic principles of programming, allowing anyone to use the tools and technology within each kit to develop their own imaginative creations, from fully-realized musical instruments to analog clocks and much more.

Nintendo and the Institute of Play are currently developing a Nintendo Labo Teacher Guide that will “allow other educators to implement Nintendo Labo in the classroom to promote the development of skills such as creative problem solving and collaboration.” Teachers or librarians from schools that wish to participate in the program can sign up at the Institute of Play’s website.

DIY Games @ School Library Journal

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Making your own games can often be as much fun as playing the latest blockbusters from Nintendo or Microsoft. But how can you bring this creative spirit to the library? Thankfully, Karen Jensen has written a thorough exploration of “DIY Games” for School Library Journal’s Teen Librarian Toolbox:

Our teens have asked for board games to play while waiting, but a large number of the games they have requested are expensive and they often don’t accommodate a lot of players, which would mean we would be spending a couple hundred dollars on board games. I know that lots of public libraries have board games and use them in their programming, but this hasn’t been something that our administration has wanted to invest in because of the cost and issues of lost pieces, etc. Plus, we are currently investing a lot of money into our Teen MakerSpace.

But we have an excellent Teen MakerSpace so I thought, let’s address this teen request and get teens involved in making. My grand idea: we could combine the two and help teens create their own games to play. Thus, we started working with teens on DIY Games.

Jensen’s post is perfect if you’ve ever wanted to learn more about basic coding with Scratch and Bloxels, as well as a few how-to ideas for making your own tabletop games.

Fortnite Overview @ Games In Libraries

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Another library-centric overview of Fortnite, the new “Battle Royale” shooter from Epic Games, has popped up on the Games In Libraries blog:

Everyone and their brother (and sister) lately has been on about Fortnite, the new free-to-play “battle royale” game from Epic Games. Originally launched as a “survival” game akin to Minecraft with a heavy building component in 2017, Fortnite added a “battle royale” mode that September based on the model created by “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” – one hundred players parachute onto a battlefield, with the last one standing the winner. Since then, it has grown into a billion-dollar juggernaut due to the profits it rakes in over optional elements like skins, outfits and dance moves.

Whether you’re looking at the Games In Libraries blog (or Teen Services Underground or School Library Journal), they all agree that Fortnite is extremely popular with younger players, and that it’s colorful (and downright wacky) presentation makes it the perfect addition to your game programming lineup.

Register Now for International Games Week 2018 @ Games In Libraries

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The ALA’s Games In Libraries blog has announced that registration is now open for International Games Week 2018:

International Games Week 2018 is from November 4th through 10th. Libraries can choose to host one event or several.

Donation information: This year some donations will be available during registration but others will be available through the Games in Libraries blog. In order to receive updates about this year’s donations, resources, and information on running a successful event, subscribe to the blog. You can subscribe to the blog here.

Donations are available while supplies last.

If you’re hosting a gaming event at your library this November, registering for International Games Week is a great idea.

“Fortnite is a Win for Librarians Looking to Boost Teen Attendance” @ School Library Journal

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Looks like we’re talking about Fortnite and “Battle Royale” games again.

Fortnite is available as a free download for the PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and mobile devices, and tech writer Brian Seto McGrath recently penned an excellent argument for why the wildly colorful shooter should be available at your library in School Library Journal:

For the uninitiated, Fortnite is one of the new breed of “battle royale” games, in which up to a hundred players descend onto an island to build fortifications while battling it out with rifles until one person is left standing—think Minecraft meets The Hunger Games.

Public librarians are taking up the challenge, and they’re finding the library can be the perfect place for Fortnite. Several libraries around the country are holding Fortnite game nights this summer. It’s a strategy to get kids in the door who may also become regular visitors to other teen programs.

Librarians say that Fortnite events they’ve hosted have drawn more kids to their libraries’ programs than ever before. For the teen and tween librarians who organized the events, the real success is measured by positive interactions the kids are having with the game—and with each other.

I shared my own thoughts about Fortnite with McGrath for the article, and I definitely think the idea of including Fortnite in a library’s game offerings is the right call: “They’re playing together and they’re talking, and they’re extremely good about making sure everyone gets a turn and feels included. [And they] can scream and shout because it’s their space. No one is going to shush them. This kind of group dynamic is just fun.”

And don’t forget about the great “Battle Royale” genre overview that Teen Services Underground did a few weeks ago.

International Games Week 2018 Update @ Games In Libraries

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The ALA’s Games In Libraries blog has provided an update about this year’s International Games Week event.

International Games Week 2018 will begin on November 4th and run through the 10th. Registration for libraries hosting events during International Games Week is slated to open the week of July 9th, and all registered libraries will receive a package of donated games from this year’s sponsors.

The ALA’s Games In Libraries blog is also looking for volunteers to help with the lead-up to International Games Week 2018:

As you know, this is a volunteer-run event. If you are interested in helping to make the blog great again this year with a post or series, let us know by filling out the contact form. We are excited for all of the great games, sponsors, and events that await us at this year’s International Games Week!