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Teen Game Club Brings Summer Into The Library

Abraham Perez Orozco | August 5th, 2024

Teen Game Club Brings Summer Into The Library

Culture & Community  |  New Haven Free Public Library  |  Youth Arts Journalism Initiative

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Abraham Perez Orozco Photos.

A handful of Nintendo Switch controllers clicked, tapped and spammed, filling the Teen Center at the Ives Main Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. On the other side of the room, four teens screamed for their gamified lives. Kev knocked out Tim, Tyler, and D with one great blast as his Squirtle final smashed the other players.

Welcome to Teen Game Club, held regularly on Tuesday and Friday afternoons at the New Haven Free Public Library. Designed to give young people a space to gather and play, the club has continued to grow, bringing in new members even in the summer months. During the school year, it brings in roughly three dozen people per day.  

On a recent Tuesday, it was in full swing, with a rotating crowd of young people around NHFPL Teen Librarian Emily Raymond and Assistant Librarian Daniel Robinson.

“I do try to encourage multiplayer games, I do want to encourage friendship,” Raymond said. “Having a place where they can be where no one expects anything out of them except to follow the rules, otherwise just have fun and be themselves, is huge for teens.” 

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Raymond and Robinson aren't exactly sure when and how the club first came to be, but both are certain it existed well before them, and likely before the Covid-19 pandemic (Raymond began her tenure two years ago). “It’s something we've kept going,” Raymond said. 

Although most teens play video games during club hours, there are also board games for those who are more hands on. “Uno is extremely popular,” Raymond said. 

That came to life on a recent Tuesday, as teens trickled in and out of the center for hours as the day grew hot and sticky outside. On a main television, Kev, Tim, Tyler, and D (they declined to give their full names) pulled up Super Smash Bros on a Nintendo Switch, while others played on an Xbox One set up nearby. 

As the teens logged into their respective games, they transformed into Pyra, Ryu, Mr. Game and Watch, and Dark Samus, all characters that inhabit the Super Smash Bros universe. As they played, Robinson watched, laughing with the teens. One by one, each of them accidentally jumped off the virtual platform that they brawled on. 

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For a moment, Super Smash Bros felt like one of the most competitive games in the world. As the action on their consoles slowed, players acknowledged Kev as the victor. 

“He beat us in Smash each time we played, he's the best player,'' D said. 

Nearby, recent Cooperative Arts & Humanities High School grad Jackye Fields was playing Brawlhalla, a platformer fighting game, on the Xbox One. 

“I have an Xbox at home but I like coming here because of the people and fighting strangers in the game,” he said. “It's a fun place you should come and meet a lot of people who play games.”

That’s part of the point, Raymond said. She wants young people to have a safe space to meet each other and play freely, especially when school’s out and extracurricular activities quiet down for a few months. 

“The library still exists during the summer,” she announced at one point with a smile. “I'm still here. I’m still happy to put on programs for you, talk about college applications, [and] help with homework problems that you might have. If you have summer school and you need to do homework, come to the library.”

“Maybe not Tuesdays and Fridays,” she added with a smile, looking around at gamers. “But any other day is quiet. I want to see you here and I want to build relationships with you!” 

Currently, teen game club is among several events for youth and young adults that the library hosts at its main branch each week. In addition, Raymond has created “Ana-Mondays,” where she shows anime and provides Japanese snacks like Pocky and Hi-Chew, “Workshop-Wednesdays,” where there is special programming for teens to learn something new, and a "Q+ Saturdays" group for queer-friendly board games. 

Sometimes Raymond also invites the Yale Center For British Art to do drawing programs. On Thursdays, she is considering implementing   an open mic for people to show their art. 

“I try to have something for everybody,” Raymond said.

The Ives Main Branch of the New Haven Free Public Library is at 133 Elm St. in downtown New Haven. This article comes from the 2024 Cohort of the Youth Arts Journalism Initiative. Abraham Perez Orozco is a rising senior at Hill Regional Career High School, where he is student council president-elect.