Local Library Youth Video Game Days – Many Oakland County MI libraries offer Video Game Days for kids and teens. I recently attended one with my kids at The Rochester Hills Public Library.
I am the type of parent that limits use of the video games in our home because if I didn’t, my kids would start calling each other Mario and Peach. But, when video games are played socially with other kids, I’m fine with it. That’s why I eagerly signed up my kids for the youth video game day at the local library.
My kids are card carriers at the Rochester Hills Public Library. They’ve been doing youth and teen video game days for years. The RHPL didn’t invent youth and teen video game days. I know from working with many local libraries for OCM that numerous Oakland County Libraries hold regular video game tournament days for teens and kids. The Rochester Public Library’s teen video game days even hold tournaments, put together brackets and give out prizes.
The youth library youth video game days at the library is like the teen video game day, but is for 8-12 year olds and has fun, friendly, and familiar games. When we went, the room was set up for Wii games and included Mario Kart, Mario Smash Bros., and Mario Olympic Games. X-Box games were also featured.
The Rochester Hills Public Library did a great job organizing youth video game day by having four remotes at each station, and then having the kids rotate by moving down one spot and passing the last remote onto the next person in line. The game selection is always age-appropriate. The Teen Video Game Days I’ve come across through visits to the library don’t include games with adult themes or excessive violence. Teen Video Game Day choices include: Mario Kart, Just Dance, Guitar Hero, Rock Band, popular sports games etc…
The Youth Video Game Day at RHPL was held in a smaller room in the youth section, but typically the Teen Video Game Days are held in a larger room with seating for spectators. Teen Video Game Day almost has an arena-type atmosphere to it. I’m sure the other local libraries that participate with similar programs have many of the same similarities and set-ups.
Library Youth Video Game Days at local libraries are a nice option for an indoor activity whether it’s snowy, rainy, or too hot outside, or just as a fun get together with other kids. The kids were social, and learned to play games productively and politely with kids they didn’t know. When you think about it, it has a potential recipe for disaster… a mass of kids in a room with a limited number of game remotes. But, the library sets the rules and makes them clear to the kids and the Youth Video Game Day or Teen Video Game Day program runs smoothly. It’s pretty remarkable how social Youth Video Game Day can be for kids and teens. Especially if you’re like me and have kids that tend to be a little more anti-social when playing video games at home.
Check out your local library to find out if they hold any Library Youth Video Game Days… See below for a listing of Oakland County MI Libraries
