ALA's second-ever National Gaming Day is coming up! In addition to free copies of Pictureka and Top Trumps for every single public library in the US, we'll also be running some national videogame tournaments using gtsystem! There are three different events, and any of them can be done with just one game console; so if you've got some equipment or can arrange to borrow some, please consider offering your patrons the opportunity to be a part of something big… at their library!
For this event, you need one Nintendo Wii, one copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for Wii, and up to 4 controllers (gamecube controllers are recommended and favored by most players, but wiimotes work fine too). To participate in the event, you'll need to be able to connect your Wii to the internet, either using the Wii's built-in Wifi or optional ethernet adapter. For more information about getting your Wii online, see getting_a_wii_online. It's recommended that you test your internet connection before planning to participate in an online event to avoid frustration and disappointment; see Upcoming_events for some opportunities to test your Wii.
The Super Smash Bros. Brawl event will consist of a national bracket of registered libraries playing against each other in a single elimination format. Each library should plan to field a team of 4 players. You can choose these players at random or stage your own playoffs to select them for added excitement, Your 4 player team then plays a series of 4 matches against 3 other libraries, with the top scoring libraries advancing to the next round. Each match between 4 libraries will be 3 stock, 5 minute matches with Items on and set to low. Your players may complain about items being on, but you may wish to let them know that may be vastly outgunned by their opponents and items provide an opportunity to level the playing field.
The tournament will be conducted online using gtsystem, although you will not need to be an active gtsystem site to participate; just be sure to register at http://bit.ly/ngd2009 and you'll receive further instructions. If you have any questions about the mechanics of the event or getting your wii online, feel free to contact us at gtsystem at aadl.org.
Add your team to the 2009 NGD Brawl Bracket!
See the 2008 NGD Brawl Bracket!
To participate in this event, you'll need a Rock Band Kit including 2 guitars, microphone, and drum set, a console that can play Rock Band (Playstation 2, Playstation 3, Wii, or Xbox 360), and the appropriate copy of the game. To allow as many locations as possible to participate in this event, we'll allow scores from any song, any version of Rock Band! Be sure that you have all the default songs unlocked by entering the unlock_codes.
Your players should form 4-player bands and you should insist that they come up with a name for the band! Then, just let each band play a song of their choice on difficulty levels of their choice, and record their total score. The libraries that feature the highest-scoring bands will emerge victorious!
To keep things moving and to keep things fair, songs over 6 minutes long are banned; but that's only Foreplay/Long Time by Boston, Won't Get Fooled again by The Who, and Green Grass and High Tides by The Outlaws.
This event is much simpler to participate in as it doesn't require direct coordination with other libraries or internet connectivity. To join in, just register for National Gaming Day at http://bit.ly/ngd2009 .
Here's the letter that went out to libraries that signed up for the NGD Rock Band tourney in 2008.
To follow up the NGD fun, AADL will also be hosting a national Mario Kart Wii bracket for players of all ages on Sunday, 11/15, starting at 3 PM EST. All you need is at least one Wii with 2 controllers, a copy of mario kart wii, and a working wifi connection for your wii! Drop us a line at gtsystem@aadl.org if you're interested in getting in on this first-ever opportunity!
Add your Library to the 2009 Mario Kart Bracket!
Please feel free to contact us at gtsystem at aadl.org if you have any other questions about any of these events!