Over the last few years, one of the most interesting events related with gaming is the increasing presence of such activities in libraries. Most of such institutions have been turning to gaming as a way of bringing in new demographic groups and exposing them to library services. This is mostly an American phenomenon and recently an American Library Association publication highlighted different types of activities in libraries, while other librarians have written about their experiences in books and online.

Gaming is rapidly growing in the area of media sales, as games sales are faster growing than box office sales and are predicted grow beyond music sales in the near future. Gaming in the library is not something new and it used to cause controversy in the past when libraries started adding fiction to their offerings and circulating recreational videos. Libraries are creating controversy today by supporting gaming through in-house gaming activities and circulating gaming material but the reality is that actual little data about how many libraries are supporting gaming and in what ways is being known.

A recent survey showed that most U.S. public libraries support gaming, at least seven out of ten of the public surveyed libraries supported gaming in some way. For decades, these institutions have supported gaming  by providing chess sets and other games in the children`s area but the most recent games enjoyed by patrons in libraries are the Web-based games. Even more interesting is the fact that women over the age of 40 are more likely to play these games than other demographic groups. Still, a big contrast  exists between the types of games offered by libraries and that`s why most of the researchers prefer to have a holistic perspective of the gaming in order to provide convincing results for their surveys.

What is sure is that larger libraries are more likely to support gaming and most of them host formal gaming programs including: board games, traditional games, console games, physical games, summer reading, card games, computer games and role playing games and 82% of the libraries did allow patrons to play games on the computer in the libraries as a part of an important strategy to bring gaming into their community. Libraries that support the recreational needs of their patrons through fiction or movies are simply extending their services to the popular entertainment media for a growing sector of the population.

Introducing the topic of gaming in a polite conversation might  actually kill it because most of the people believe that games are for children or adults who are trying to regain a lost adolescence, but the truth is that games can be a positive force in the teaching of history or other subjects. Recently, books and software with suggestions for designing gaming programs in library appeared. These materials can help librarians with sample forms, bibliographies and gamer`s glossary included for reference and seem essential to help developing collections and services that advance the needs and the skills of the young people they serve and not only.

As a result of this growing reality, American Libraries declared November 14 as National Gaming Day and it seems there is no turning back in this issue. So, game on!