One of our missions as a library is to help people in Strathcona County connect with each other. And really, the best way to connect with people in your community is to do stuff with them. Why not make that stuff be fun? Why not play a game?
Board games have been around for thousands of years, and they've often been a way for people to compete with each other. If you've ever played a table-flipping game of Monopoly with your family, you know how competition can go. But there's more to playing a game than determining a winner, and modern games have so much more to them that a simple race to the finish. You can make the most inviting bird sanctuary, or variety-filled sushi meals or, yes, just very satisfying sequences of numbers.
When we play games we are figuring out rules, problem solving, and recognizing patterns within low-stakes boundaries. This helps players teach and learn and share with each other. Add in the facts that you can play some games cooperatively (where everyone wins or loses together) and the amount of chatting or "table talk" that goes on when you play, board games can be an amazing way to get to know strangers.
We're trying to do more with games at the library, so starting in September we're adding a new Board Game Gathering program on Sunday afternoons, where people can come to the library to play some of our games, or bring their own to share with someone new (no registration required). Also, if you like storytelling games, you can register to play Dungeons and Dragons with our group on Saturday afternoons. These are in addition to our regular Memory and Board Games program for seniors, and our all-ages Wednesday afternoon drop-in Chess Meetup.
So come play some games at the library. It'll be fun.
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