First up, I gotta say this. I LOVE YOU.  You had me at hello in 1986 when I received my Nintendo Entertainment System, complete with Super Mario Brothers, Duckhunt, and two additional titles my folks picked up for me, Trojan, and Mighty Bomb Jack. I even bought Virtual Boy and I LOVED IT!  Heck, I still love it!

Now that I got that out of the way, let’s get down to business.

If you haven’t noticed, libraries are playing video games
Whether it be as huge as the gaming program at the Public Library of Charlotte Mecklenburg County or as tiny (but powerful!) as the Cape May County Library Game Night Central program, the simple fact is that we’re gaming in libraries.  Lots of kids and teens are turning out for these events.  Just look here and here.  We’re having lots of fun playing and talking about games.

We’re also buying your games and lending them out to our patrons.  Up until March 2010, I was the Teen Librarian at the Cape May County Library and one of my proudest moments was creating a circulating video game collection for our patrons.  They loved having access to games.  Nintendo Wii games, in particular, flew off the shelves.

Look at the Glenside Public Library.  They have 534 games at their library.   Look at the Cape May County Library.  They have 254 games at their library.  Considering games go for about $50 a pop, that’s around $12,000-$25,000 spent.  The case I’m trying to make?  We’re spending lots of money on you.  And that’s not even counting the games that patrons buy after they first test them out at the library.  Who knows what that number is, but all in all, it’s money in your pocket.

Let’s put this all together.  LIBRARIES LIKE YOU VERY MUCH NINTENDO.  This has got me thinking.  Why are we not working together?

What I’m proposing is this:

We’re a team! You help us and we’ll help you.  We’re in it to provide quality services to our patrons.  We want them to experience and enjoy all that life has to offer.  Video games are a part of that.  The problem is that many libraries simply can’t afford to invest in video games.  We’re under enough budget stress as it already is. This leaves a significant portion of the population that we serve without any chance of enjoying video games at the library.  So, it comes to this.  Help us get video games in our public libraries.  In return, think of us as another way to advertise your products.

We’re out there on the front lines with our patrons everyday.  Oh, patron?  You are wondering what that means?  I believe you call them your target audience.  They’re the ones buying your games and systems.  So, not only are we pretty much enjoying and advertising your products, but we’re also finding out what games your target audience wants to be playing.  Yes, like any good library, we are an excellent source of information.

Remember your Play Choice 10 arcade machines?  You know how you put display units for people to play in video games stores?  Yeah, we’re like that.  But instead of casual interaction, we’re right there with our gamers.  I’m playing Super Smash Brothers Brawl with the teens at my library.  I’m going on 4 player quests on New Super Mario Bros. with video game fans.  I’m not a salesperson, but damn, it sure sounds like I am.

So, let’s talk.  I’m not gonna ask for specifics.  For now, I just want to talk.  How can we work together?  What can we do to develop a beautiful friendship?

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There’s a good chance Nintendo will never even read this post, so I’ve gotta take it a step further.  The library community needs to bond together and make some changes.  We’re gonna start small and work our way to the top.  Let’s try to get in touch with Nintendo.

Are you gaming at your library?  Do you want to have gaming at your library?  Here’s where you come in.    Nintendo wants partners.  They say it right on their blog, that “our mission is to put smiles on the faces of anyone who experiences our brands”.  Our patrons are experiencing their brands at our libraries.  In order to keep doing that, we need to have Nintendo on our side.

HEY LIBRARIES!  CLICK HERE TO TALK TO NINTENDO ABOUT HOW YOU’D LIKE TO WORK WITH THEM!

I urge you to click on the link above to contact Nintendo about partnering with or sponsoring your library gaming program.  I’m gonna do it.  You should too.  One voice isn’t gonna make much noise, but if we all bond together, we can shout.  A positive shout for libraries, a positive shout for Nintendo.

What have we got to lose?  Let’s give it a try.

Justin Hoenke
June 4, 2010