Suppose you step inside the University of Idaho Library or Holland and Terrell Libraries at Washington State University. In that case, you may notice an interesting collection that people can check out: board games. So why do academic libraries have a collection of board games for circulation?
If you are not familiar with modern board games, thousands of new games are published and sold to the mass market every year. The target demographic includes both children and adults. In addition, some games are language-independent or can be played by groups of varying sizes. Whatever people’s preferences may be, whether they like abstract, strategy, party, thematic, dexterity, deduction, or cooperative, there is a game for everyone.
Established publishers publish most games to the traditional retail channel. Among the recent titles, both Wingspan and Azul were winners of Kennerspiel des Jahres, the most prestigious awards in board games (think Oscars for movies; and yes, people give out awards to board games). Featuring more than 100 unique bird cards, Wingspan has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide since 2019 according to the statistics from the publisher. Azul is a tile-drafting game with high production value and has sold more than 2 million copies worldwide since 2017.
Other games are published by independent publishers who resort to using Kickstarter or Gamefound to secure funding for production. Some successful campaigns for crowdfunding tabletop games could attract thousands of backers. For instance, Frosthaven, the sequel to the earlier popular title Gloomhaven, raised more than $12 million on Kickstarter.
Board games are clearly very popular, but why do academic libraries circulate board games? The trend originated as part of the larger Library of Things movement in which libraries maintain a collection of community-enrichment items for people to check out. The nontraditional items include arts and crafts supplies, kitchen appliances, gardening equipment, etc.
Playing board games has several benefits. Thanks to the social nature of the activity and because of the prerequisite of having two or more people being present, playing board games can foster new or build on existing relationships. With friends and family you already know, playing games is an excellent pastime for spending quality time together. As the popular spots on campus for students to study as a group, academic libraries are dedicated to building community. If you would like to meet people and make new friends, attending organized library gaming events would be a great start. For instance, the University of Idaho Library has been hosting a monthly Third Thursday board games event in the fall and spring semesters. Anyone is welcome to join the library staff and other students to play games.
Playing board games can also contribute to emotional wellbeing. Given all the distress that we have been through in the last few years, board games are great stress relievers. Too preoccupied with school, work, life, and current events that cause stress and anxiety? Spent too much time on screens like phones, tablets, computer monitors, laptop screens, and TVs? Taking a break by playing a game or two would help. Academic libraries have a role in fostering student wellbeing. At the University of Idaho Library, for example, library staff put together and distribute distress kits that contain stress-relief items to students close to midterms and finals each semester. Having a year-round board games collection for people to check out also contributes to supporting student wellbeing.
Lastly, circulating board games to provide educational benefits to various groups of people on diverse subjects is a good fit for libraries that have always advocated lifelong learning. For younger children between the ages of 3 and 10, many games are specifically designed to make them curious about nature, animals, etc. On the other hand, older teens and adults can learn about the nature of genetic inheritance by playing Genotype: A Mendelian Genetics Game, historical events related to the cold war between the USA and USSR by playing Twilight Struggle, the ecosystem that consists of habitats and wildlife of the Pacific Northwest by playing Cascadia, etc.
Want to learn more about board games and even check out some for yourself? Besides the libraries mentioned earlier, you may also visit your friendly local game stores — Palouse Games in Pullman and Safari Pearl in Moscow. The knowledgeable staff at the store can help you choose games to buy, or you may pull some demo games from the shelves to play. Best of luck, and game on!
Dong is the instructional technology librarian at the University of Idaho Library.
