"Around the world, games continue to build friendships, enrich cultures, and promote new ways of thinking."

~Ben Matchstick,
Kellogg-Hubbard Library
Montpelier, VT

Ace of Games Festival and Tournament

Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, VT

For ten weeks in early 2009, the Ace of Games Festival and Tournament celebrates the modern board game. The American Library Association has decreed that integrating games into library services encourages literacy, critical thinking, and community. Games stimulate the mind and enliven the social environment. Playing games with kids brings structured play to the table, building up attention spans and problem solving skills. But the best reason to play games is: GAMES are FUN!

The mission of the Ace of Games is to promote tabletop games in our community as a way to get to know our neighbors, spend time together, and have fun.

Running the Program

Sessions meet Friday afternoons from 3-5PM for younger players, ages 6 to 12 years old. The Saturday sessions are from 2 to 5 PM, for players 10 years and older. Players earn points by participating, or can play just for fun. Games played include Carcassone, Blokus, Dungeons & Dragons, Memoir '44, Rumis, Settlers of Catan, Shadows Over Camelot and Sorry!

The library hosts a weekly meeting for Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition players age 8-12 with 15 regular participants and 3 volunteer Game Masters. The 12-18 year old D&D group meets Mondays, with two campaigns alternating weeks. That program is made possible by Community Connections, an after school organization that promotes healthy alternatives. The library circulates D&D 4th edition books, and they are extremely popular.

The Kellogg-Hubbard Library also hosts a chess club every Wednesday after the Children's Library closes, run by a wonderful volunteer, Robert Nichols, who brings timers and chess boards for all participants; they practice strategies for upcoming tournaments.

Marketing

The program was promoted through a website.

Facility

Seven venues around Montpelier agreed to become official venues, supplying games and hosting events.

Impact

Getting out of the house, intergenerational interactions, communication,math and other educational skills and social skills were a few of the benefits of playing modern board games.

Learning friendly competition and developing affinity groups around like interests are a few more positive reasons for sitting around a table and playing a word, card or board game.

Funding

Days of Wonder generously donated copies of Ticket to Ride, Memoir '44and Shadows Over Camelot. Other generous donations came from Gamewright, Bananagrams, Fantasy Flight, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, Days of Wonder, Northstar Games and Rio Grande Games, as well as from the local toy store, Woodbury Mountain Toys.

Resources

For more information, please contact Ben Matchstick at bentmatchstick@gmail.com.

Ace of Games Festival and Tournament. Kellogg-Hubbard Public Library, 2009. www.kellogghubbard.org/aceofgames.html. January 29, 2009.
Offical website, with event list.

Hinckley, Sara. "Ace of Games." Times Argus, January 25, 2009. www.timesargus.com/article/20090125/NEWS02/901250381 . January 29, 2009.
Report on the kickoff of a ten week long modern board game festival.

Terra Libris. www.theescapist.com/library/. February 25, 2009.
The purpose of this project is to promote and raise awareness of library projects that incorporate role-playing games. The project aims to provide resources, ideas, and networking for librarians and volunteers who would like to host role-playing progams at their library.