FAQ

• Details
• Registration
• How to Participate
• Board Games
• National Video Game Tournaments

Details

1. When is International Games Day this year?
   This year's event will be on Saturday, November 16, 2013, at libraries everywhere.
2. Does International Games Day fall on the same day every year? We'd like to plan ahead for 2014.
   Yes, International Games Day is now held on the third Saturday of November, so the 2014 event will take place on November 21.
3. Where can I find the 2012 Map of Participating Libraries?
   The Map of Participating Libraries is available at http://bit.ly/igd12map. The 2013 map will be available starting in mid-June.
4. What happened to "National Gaming Day?"
   This is still the same great event but starting in 2012, we renamed it "International Games Day @ your library" to reflect the growing interest from libraries outside of the U.S.

Registration

1. How do I register my library to participate?
   Just fill out the registration form before November 15th.
2. When is the deadline?
   Your library can register all the way up until Friday, November 15, but by then the free donations are likely to be gone or they won't be delivered in time for the event. The deadline to register for one of the national video game tournaments is September 30. We'll also be updating the map of participating libraries for the final time pre-IGD on Thursday, November 19.
3. Why should my library register to participate?
   Registering will get your location(s) listed on the international map of participating locations, which is where we point the public and the press. It will also give us a way to contact you with the evaluation survey afterward, which will ensure your participants get included in the total count of people playing games in libraries that day.
4. How do I know my registration was successful?
   Unfortunately, the form service we use doesn't send email confirmations, so you won't get a notice that your registration was successful. However, if you made it all the way to the end and saw the "thank you" message, your registration was successful. You can also search the map of participating libraries to see if your library is listed there. If your library is listed on the map, then you're registered in our database. Check the "last updated date" on the map if you don't see your library listed, because it may be that the monthly update that will add you hasn't been published yet.
5. Can libraries outside the U.S. sign up?
   Yes! We encourage libraries outside the U.S. to register for International Games Day so that we can include you on our map of participating locations. Please note, though, that unfortunately we can't ship donated games to locations outside of the U.S. at this time.
6. My library is already planning to hold an event on November 16. Can we still sign up to participate as part of International Games Day?
   Yes, we'd still love to have you participate in IGD13! We just ask that you still register with us, use the IGD PR materials to tie your event to ours, and fill out the evaluation form afterward to report a head count to us.
7. My library can't participate on November 16th - can we still register and run a game program on a different day?
   Yes! We know not every library can participate on a Saturday or on that particular Saturday. We're happy to include your library as long as you register with us, identify your event as part of International Games Day in your marketing, and fill out the evaluation survey afterward to tell us what happened during your event. Note that you won't be able to participate in the video game tournaments that take place on IGD itself.

How to Participate

1. What does my library need to do in order to participate in International Games Day activities?
   It's completely up to you how your library participates in this international event. One of the great things about gaming is that it scales for any size library with any size budget in any size building. Some libraries ask patrons or staff to bring in their copies of games such as Scrabble, Monopoly, and Life, while others reach out to local board game groups/stores to bring in new games that patrons may not be familiar with.Libraries that want to do a trial run for video game programming sometimes ask the teen advisory group to bring in equipment for International Games Day. If your library is too small to use even a corner for an IGD event or if you're not open that Saturday, consider partnering with another local library in your area (academic, public, or school) to participate regionally. All types of libraries participate in all types of ways, from a chess game out on a table all the way up to participation in the real-time, international, video game tournaments. Whatever works for you works for us. If you need ideas for gaming activities, check out the The Librarian's Guide to Gaming: An Online Toolkit for Building Gaming @ your library.
2. What does it mean to participate in International Games Day?
   You can plan whatever kind of gaming activities work best for your library. We just ask that you register with us and then fill out the evaluation form afterward to report a head count. Beyond simple numbers, one of the ways we measure the success of the event is the anecdotes about what happens at libraries that participate. We hope you'll share pictures and stories from your event, not just with us, but with your local press and the whole world.

Board Games

1. Will my library receive a free game this year?
   If you're one of the first thousand libraries to register for International Games Day, you'll be able to request the board game donated by our official sponsor. Please also note that our board game donors cannot ship to PO boxes, so you'll need to provide us with a full postal address. We're sorry, but if we can't ship to something other than a PO box, we won't be able to send you the games.
2. How can I tell if my library will receive a free game?
   If you were able to check a box on the form to request a game, then you'll receive that title. It will say on the form when the games have all been claimed, and you won't see the option to request it.
3. Can libraries outside the U.S. receive donated games for free?
   Unfortunately, we cannot ship board games outside of the U.S.
4. When will the donated games ship to libraries?
   The games will ship in October. We'll post on the blog and send an email to registrants when the board games begin shipping.

National Video Game Tournaments

1. What sort of gaming stations do we need in order to participate in the tournaments? Are they just on computers?
   The two video games we'll be playing in the tournaments will be Super Smash Bros. Brawl (SSBB) and Mario Kart. You'll need the Nintendo Wii versions of SSBB and Mario Kart to play in those tournaments.
2. Does ALA provide video game consoles and equipment?
   No, ALA doesn't have the resources to purchase, house, ship, and track equipment. If your library doesn't have any consoles, we encourage you to work with local retailers to donate, rent, or provide equipment for the day. Alternatively, you may be able to work with local teens (especially if you have a teen advisory group) or staff and ask them to bring in their equipment. You can also offer open game play on your library's computers, although that wouldn't be part of the tournaments.
3. Does it cost anything to participate in the video game tournaments?
   Participating in our video game tournaments is free, although you'll need to provide the video game console equipment. For the Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart tournaments, you'll need to have a Nintendo Wii that can connect to the internet. Be sure to sign up for the video game tournaments on the registration form before September 30th.
4. Are there certain times during the day that participants would have to be on the consoles to be in the tournaments?
   There are certain times in the middle of the day when participants would have to be on the Wii to play Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart. We'll be posting more details about the video game tournaments as the date gets closer.
5. When is the deadline to register to participate in the national video game tournaments?
   The deadline to register for the Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Mario Kart tournaments is September 30. This is because we need time to coordinate with all of the libraries to make sure everything is in place and working properly before the big day.
6. Where can I find out more about the video game tournaments?
   Eli Neiburger and the Ann Arbor (MI) District Library have again graciously agreed to coordinate the tournaments for us using their GT System tournament software. More information will be available on the National Video Game Tournament Details page, and you can contact the AADL folks at gtsystem [at] aadl.org to ask specific questions about the tournaments.
7. Do we have to participate in the tournaments if we're going to play video games?
   No, you can run your own local tournament or just offer open play for any video games you want to play at your location. The tournaments are just a fun way to let kids play against and interact with kids from other libraries. Bragging rights aren't bad, either.

Don't see your question listed? Contact us to ask it!

Last updated: April 26, 2013

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