Mars Area Public Library has one more board game club meeting this year
Fans can try out new board games with the help of an experienced player on the second Saturday of each month at the Mars Area Public Library.
The board game club at the library is organized by Vince D'Alesio, a programming and outreach librarian, who said he chooses a different game each month based on what he enjoys and what he thinks would be fun for people looking for a Saturday activity.
While these are meant to be fun sessions where people can learn the ins and outs of a game they have never played before, D’Alesio said there are educational benefits to playing board games for people of all ages.
“It helps develop confidence skills and motor skills and color and number recognition, it teaches kids how to take turns, how to handle winning and losing,” D’Alesio said. “For older kids and teens, the benefits increase, they build communication skills, negotiation ... they're great for seniors because they enhance memory and conversation.”
The final meeting of the club will be at 10 a.m Dec. 20, where the game will be “Tsuro,” in which each player has a token and a set of tiles, and the object of the game is to use those tiles to knock other players’ tokens off the board.
D’Alesio said he normally posts a fair amount ahead of time what game the club will play, but people who attend a session can suggest or request a game to play at an upcoming session or bring one of their own games to the table. D’Alesio also said some games he chooses are able to be checked out from the library.
According to D’Alesio, people typically enjoy the club even when playing with the group for the first time.
“I can explain the rules, I go through a brief run through — I go through a few turns and we play,” he said. “In my job, at least what I'm trying to do, is introduce people to new games.”
The game begins at 10 a.m. Dec. 20 at the library, 107 Grand Avenue, Mars. D’Alesio said there is registration for the event, but some people just show up at the sessions without registering ahead of time. For more information or to register, visit the library’s website at marsarealibrary.org.
