1. Wake Forest University Get Game@ZSR: The How and Why of Game Nights in Libraries H. David “Giz” Womack Manager of Technology Training Z. Smith Reynolds Library Wake Forest University womack@wfu.edu Copyright Wake Forest University 2006. This work is the intellectual property of the author. Permission is granted for this material to be shared for non-commercial, educational purposes, provided that this copyright statement appears on the reproduced materials and notice is given that the copying is by permission of the author. To disseminate otherwise or to republish requires written permission from the author.

2. Wake Forest University –Founded in 1834 –Small liberal arts university in Winston-Salem, N.C. –Total enrollment: 6,717 Who Are We? What is Get Game@ZSR? An Idea from the Library Director –Summer of 2005 began planning. Open Game Nights –Primarily Xbox, with some PS2 players. Tournaments –Halo2 on Xbox (FPS, RPG)

3. Wake Forest University Resources –Staff Library Information Technology Team Staff (6) Resident Technology Advisors (RTAs) (8) –Equipment LCD Projectors Screens –Supplies Pizza, Sodas, Water and Candy keep everyone happy! Long extension cords and surge suppressors are a must! Provide painter’s tape and sharpie pens to tag ALL the equipment the players bring to the events. Stock various RCA connectors for the projectors and game systems. Tournaments need a trophy! How We Did It

4. Wake Forest University Formats –Open Game Night –Tournament –Students registered in advance. Dates –Open Game Night on a Friday in September from 7pm-11pm. –Tournament on a Friday in February from 3pm-6pm. Planning –Setup for each event began about two hours before the event. –Planning including testing game systems with projectors. Marketing –Marketed via E-mail, paper fliers, and website announcements. Costs –Open Game Night $425 –Tournament $172 How We Did It

5. Wake Forest University Gaming is big business. Many Library users are gamers. To encourage students to visit the Library. To generate positive publicity for the Library. It is fun! Why We Did It

6. Wake Forest University Participants were surveyed using Zoomerang. 88% prefer Fridays. A three-hour event was preferred. Time preferred was split. 100% did not mind bringing their own gaming equipment. Equal preference given to both formats. Survey Results Lessons Learned External sponsors are hard to find! It is very easy to trip a circuit breaker. Know where the breaker box is located! The students like these events!