Teen Gaming Center
Video games have slowly developed a central place in American culture since the days of Pong and Pac-Man. The video game industry now makes more money than the film and sports industries in North America combined. Rising in parallel with casual home games is the esports phenomenon—professional competitive video gaming, played live in sports arenas and broadcasted on the Internet and channels like ESPN, is a multi-billion-dollar endeavor.
While most libraries circulated popular movies in home-viewing formats for decades, video games were slower to gain a foothold. JCPL began offering programming using the Nintendo Wii in 2008, and in recent years, we have developed programs around popular creative PC games like Minecraft and Roblox, as well as the rapidly expanding world of virtual reality via the Oculus Go headset. In 2019, JCPL began circulating video games.
The teen area at the new Clark Pleasant Branch provides a unique opportunity to create a permanent gaming center, available for drop-in play and more structured gaming events led by library staff. Teens will enjoy the opportunities for socialization and friendly competition. Teen patrons will enjoy equal access to the latest games and console systems whose high cost can put them out of reach for some families. Games are more than just fun! Studies show that games also foster skills in math, critical thinking, problem-solving and other areas of development.
We anticipate the Teen Gaming Center will bring in a new segment of the younger population, those who may not regard the library as a social destination. This, in turn, will allow JCPL the opportunity to share other wonderful materials and services and create a new generation of enthusiastic and dedicated library users.
Your gift will ensure that the Teen Gaming Center can provide an up-to-date experience with the latest game console technology and the most popular games, delivered in a state-of-the-art audio-visual setting.
