Nation’s libraries celebrate largest National Gaming Day ever

CHICAGO- The interest in gaming continues to increase, as evidenced by the growing popularity of National Gaming Day @ your library.

Recently, more than 27,700 people of all ages came together in their local communities to participate in gaming events at more than 760 U.S. libraries and 21 international libraries in 14 countries for National Gaming Day @ your library, Nov. 12, sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA).

Through a generous donation from FamilyandPartyGames.com, registered libraries across the country received 3,000 copies of their bestselling games, including Loaded Questions, Awkward Family Photos, The Greatest Day Ever Game and Loaded Questions Junior.

An estimated 39 libraries competed with one another in a National “Epic Super Smash Bros. Brawl” tournament. The Ann Arbor (Mich.) District Library came in first place, beating out the Phoenix Public Library.

“Libraries offer more than just books, and gaming is an example of how libraries provide social and cultural programs that encourage interaction,” said ALA President Molly Raphael. “Gaming is a family friendly activity that all ages can enjoy in the safe, non-commercialized space libraries offer.”

At many libraries, gaming proved to be intergenerational, with patrons of all ages participating in the festivities. For example, at the Plymouth (Minn.) Library, seniors and teens taught each other how to play Scrabble and Rock Band respectively, while the Citizens Library in Washington, Pa. saw adults try the Nintendo Wii for the first time, while younger kids and teens played the more traditional games the adults had grown up with.

"National Gaming Day was a tremendous opportunity to connect communities through the fun of board game play," said Eric Poses, of FamilyandPartyGames.com. "Being able to contribute in this way, knowing it positively impacts kids and families across America, has been very rewarding."

National Gaming Day @ your library encourages the public to connect with their libraries to enjoy the educational, recreational and social benefits of games.

National Gaming Day @ your library 2012 will take place on Saturday, Nov. 3, 2012.

For more information on National Gaming Day @ your library, please contact Jennifer Petersen, ALA PR coordinator, at (312) 280-5043 or jpetersen@ala.org.

About the American Library Association

The American Library Association is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 60,000 members. Its mission is to promote the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. For more information on the American Library Association please visit ala.org.

About FamilyandPartyGames.com and All Things Equal

Founded in 1997, FamilyandPartyGames.com and All Things Equal are the brainchild of entrepreneur Eric Poses, starting with the hit game Loaded Questions. With a small loan from his parents, Poses created the game and embarked upon a 16-week tour of the United States selling Loaded Questions from the trunk of his car. In a short period of time the first 5,000 games sold, attracting the attention of major retailers like Target and Amazon. Today, Loaded Questions has sold more than one million copies and boasts seven different versions. Also within the games portfolio is The New Yorker Cartoon Caption Game, The Greatest Day Ever Game and Awkward Family Photos, based on the hit Web phenomenon. All Things Equal products are made in America and can be found at Target, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, Amazon and at hundreds of specialty stores and Web sites. To date, the company has generated more than $25 million in retail sales and is based in Miami Beach, Fla. For more information, please visit FamilyAndPartyGames.com.