Table Top Games Take Center Stage at Skyway Library's Upcoming All Day Game Day

by a Skyway Community Member

I strongly detest most millennial trends– being active on more than two social media accounts, rainbow & unicorn foods, cultural appropriation & gentrification, to name a few — however there is one millennial trend, a resurgence if you will, that I am 100%, hook line, and sinker, drank the Kool-Aid, all in for: Tabletop Games!

Because of course I am! They’re fun! They allow for adults to engage with games and play in a socially acceptable way. They allow for intergenerational hangouts to be fun and engaging for everyone! They create communication parameters that allow for even the most awkward of us to interact with each other.

19366555_451932305172841_3420538376110998354_n — Wildcat Games’ The Summiters. [Photo: Maggie Block]

So when I went to “ALA Play” night during American Library Association’s annual conference, I felt a lightning strike of inspiration! The hotel conference room was covered in board games, card games, dice games, and more! There were independent game designers in the front demoing their games, and big game companies demo teams teaching folks to play their games in the back. I was able to walk around, and play game after game, meeting and playing with new people as I went. It was honestly my favorite thing about the entire conference, and I came back with a suitcase full of free books (better than cash in this librarian’s life)!

I knew I wanted to recreate ALA Play at the Skyway Library! And I think July 15th’s All Day Game Day event will do just that! We will have games for all ages, so bring your kids and your grandparents, or come alone and make new friends! This is going to be a free fun event for all ages! And did I mention air conditioned?!

We have free puzzles to give a way to the first 50 people who come! We will, as of this writing, have 9 Seattle independent game designers showcasing their games. Including Andy Santos-Johnson of Wildcat Games, who grew up here in Skyway! We will have meetup gaming groups that regularly play role playing games or anime themed games.

We will have two separate con’s (Geek Girl and Orca) represented and teaching people how to play games. Renton’s newest gaming store, Game-Xplosion, will be bringing by some retro games to play. And we’ll have multiple groups and organizations that focus on trying to create inclusive environments to learn Magic the Gathering. And representatives from Pathfinder Society, Pathfinder official demo team, to teach people how to play Pathfinder.

Plus Independent games featured in All Day Game Day will be for sale at Skyway Model shop all day! So come and play a homegrown game, and if you like it you can have it for your next board game night!

I’m really excited about this event, I have put a lot of work into it, because it’s an event I would want to attend. It’s the kind of fun event I want to put on for the Skyway and South End communities. I hope you will stop by, play some games together, and have a great time. I can’t wait to see you there!

All Day Game Day

July 15, 10am-5pm

Skyway Library

12601 76th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98178

All Ages! Free!

More info

Feature Image courtesy of the author, with background modified from the original “Dice” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by qrush