Gaming for All Ages  by Caitlyn Konze, Gaming Assistant, La Crosse Public Library 

Occasionally as I walk past the internet computers, a monitor displaying elements of a casual computer game will catch my eye. I instinctively turn my head, curious about what is being played. I can’t count how many times I’ve been surprised to see someone twice my age manipulating Mahjong tiles like a master.

Games are not just for kids anymore. According to the Pew Research Center, 53% of all American adults play video games of some kind. This is good news for libraries that may be lacking young patrons, but may still want to try organizing a gaming program. So who, other than teens, is playing? You may find success targeting families and senior citizens.

Kids who were exposed to the first truly successful gaming console, the Nintendo Entertainment System, back in their high school days are now grown adults with families of their own. They find common ground with their children through video games. An estimated two-thirds of fathers and 49% of mothers play with their kids. Video games are becoming an experience the whole family can enjoy. Thanks in part to the Wii, more video game creators are trying for multi-generational hits. Games like Wii Sports, Boom Blox, and Rayman Raving Rabbids are incorporating multi-player elements enjoyed from third graders to grandmothers.

But move over parents, seniors are going to leave you in the dust. Adults ages 55 and older account for 47% of online games downloaded. As the most rapidly growing gaming demographic, older adults are using computers and the Wii to keep their bodies and minds sharp. AARP has a game section on their web site where seniors can play word, memory, card, or even multiplayer games online for free. It’s the most visited part of their site. They even have articles with senior friendly suggestions for all formats from computers to hand-helds. Reviews are graded so the reader can choose a game suitable for their own skill level.

More Wiis are showing up in places like nursing homes and senior centers too. Greenspring’s retirement community in Springfield, Virginia boasts a Wii bowling league of over 200 seniors and 30 teams. Some play for competition. Some play for the sake of learning something new. Still others play because they have long since been physically capable of performing tasks like holding an eight-pound bowling ball, swinging a tennis racket, or even the ability to stand. The Wii has helped them enjoy activities they wrote off as impossible long ago.

With the help of WRLS, you can experiment with gaming programs for any age. Their Wii, along with controllers and games, can now be checked out for two weeks by any public library member of the Winding Rivers Library System. Programs may be held anywhere as long as a staff member is present and the library is a sponsor. If you have a TV with at least one yellow and white circular plug-in, you can hook up a Wii. Contact Marcia at mes@wrlsweb.org for questions, or see Julie at jlb@wrlsweb.org to request the system.