Sewickley Public Library to host 'Giant Games' tournament

The Sewickley Public Library plans to host a youth contest of epic proportions.

The inaugural Tournament of Giant Games is set for Friday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the library, 500 Thorn St.

Teams of students in grades 6-12 will participate in various competitions.

They earn points to eventually take home first-, second- and third-place medals as well as gift cards. The night will include raffles.

Games include live action Hungry Hungry Hippos, live action Mario Kart, Giant Jenga, Giant Bucket Pong and more.

Emily Fear, head of the teen department, said they have done a few of the giant games individually in previous years, but not in a tournament setting.

“We know that our teens enjoy gaming in not just the video game sense, but board games, card games, any number of things that they do both digitally or in person or remotely,” Fear said.

“Creating something that is going to draw their attention, to get them more immersed in it means thinking bigger than just board game night or video games. That, to us, translated into giant games.”

Participation is free and materials will be provided. The hope is to have at least 15 to30 people play.

“We anticipate it’s going to be a really fun event,” Fear said. “It’s going to be great for people who both enjoy virtual and in-person gaming. We’d like to be able to do this on an annual basis. So, it would be nice to get a good turnout this time around so we can really build this tournament into something we can do annually.”

How some games work

The first floor of the building, starting from its reference area, will be transformed into a Mario Kart track.

Fear said racers would ride on different colored four-wheel non-motorized scooters, also called “gym class scooters” and collect “power-ups” for extra points.

The scooters also will be used on the live action version of Hungry Hungry Hippos, the famous Hasbro table top game involving four hippos stretching out to gobble up marbles.

Competitors will use laundry baskets to catch rubber balls while sliding back and forth on the scooters.

Fear said the library played both games on different occasions years ago and received positive feedback, with Mario Kart gathering great interest.

“There were definitely students who were involved who seemed to enjoy it, but wanted something even more involved,” she said. “You hear live action Mario Kart maybe you expect that you’re driving go-karts or something in the library. But that’s why kind of it folds really well into this tournament style, because it’s not the only event that’s happening. It’s one of many.”

How to sign up

Youths can sign up individually or as a team.

Registration is open through the morning of the event.

Sign-ups are available online at sewickleylibrary.org or by calling 412-741-6920.