Mark your calendars: On November 15th, the American Library Association will be hosting National Gaming Day, a celebration of the more social aspects of our hobby. The event will feature a national video game tournament, as well as a number of board and card games.
For the event, Hasbro will be donating a copy of Pictureka! to every public library branch in the US, with the hopes of setting a record for the most people playing a single board game at the same time time. As an additional goodwill gesture, Wizards of the Coast is providing the first 1,000 libraries that sign up for National Gaming Day with the materials for Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering sessions.
As for videogames, the actual list of available games has yet to be determined, but I'm inclined to believe they'll be regulated to the Mario Kart variety, as Grand Theft Auto IV probably won't sit well with parents.
The goal of the event is to get kids playing and learning in a group, where they can work with their peers to solve puzzles and socialize in an educational environment. Besides, libraries are really cool, and anything that gets kids inside of them is a step in the right direction. To participate, librarians will have to sign their library up, so head to your local branch and spread the word.
National Gaming Day @ Your Library [American Library Association, via Shacknews]
