Bangor Public Library's First Game Tournament

Do you love videogames? Do you like competing against your friends & peers? Do you think your gaming skills are good enough to beat out others to win prizes & fame?

The Bangor Public Library is happy to announce its first ever game tournament for teenagers & their families on April 5th in the Lecture Hall at 10AM. You will get a chance to pit your skills on the Playstation 2 game console against all challengers in two of the more popular -- & fun -- games around, Dance Dance Revolution Supernova & Guitar Hero III. Both of these games offer a level of interaction that many games do not, making a player exercise the arms & legs & heart, not just the fingers & thumbs. Plus, watching someone else play these games often is as fun as playing yourself.
Top winner in each event will get a gift card for $50. Second place receives a $30 gift card & third will win $20 gift card. All participants will be entered in a drawing for $100 grand prize. We hope the tournament will stir up some great performances by our gamers & be a lot of fun for everyone who attends this unique event.

To guarantee your spot in the tournament, we ask that you pre-register for the event or events in which you'd like to compete. Not knowing beforehand how large or small the turnout for the tournament will be, this is our best way of preparing to make sure everyone gets an opportunity to play. Plus, pre-registering will simplify arranging the player positioning for qualifying rounds. Keep in mind, though, that we'll make our best effort to give everyone who shows up a chance.

Since this is a tournament, we will be preparing for everyone to get at least two chances on the game of choice. We won't want anyone to have one bad round & be eliminated right away. [Depending on the amount of interest this event generates, we may offer players the chance to qualify the night before]. A player's best score will make him or her eligible to qualify for the top 16 single elimination championship round. In the event of ties for the last few qualifying spots, we will have a playoff system to pare down to the top 16 players.Teen gamers are the intended audience for this tournament. We will, however, give teens a chance to compete a parent because we really know you want to embarrass your mom or dad. Keep in mind, though, that only teens are eligible for any prizes. (Note: My definition of teen is 12 to 19. If you are in the seventh grade, but not yet 13, I don't want to exclude you from competing against your classmates). The library will have other tournaments in the future designed for pre-teens & adults.

The library will provide snacks & drinks to players & guests. You should pack a lunch if you think you might be here all day.

You may pre-register for the tournament by responding to this blog, emailing playne@bpl.lib.me.us, or signing up at the library. We will need to know your name, player name (if different), & a phone number or email address. An email address is preferred.

Participants may register under their own name or under a unique player name (just let us also know your real name). For example, you can be Joe Smith or The Ghost of Jimi Hendrix or The Blob that Ate Ozzy or whatever you'd like. I'll probably be Mr. Intensity, Magnum P. Layne, or Pistol Pat (they're all nicknames from high school that a few people still call me). Note: we reserve the right to censor a player's name -- we'll really try to give you what you want, but we are a public place after all. In gamer terms, you need to stay within the rated T for teen range. M for Mature won't work for a player name.

We will try to keep the tournament going at a quick pace so players won't have to wait long between their rounds. During the time between qualifying, players are invited to bring in handheld consoles like the Nintendo DS, Gameboy or PSP to fill in the time. If you'd like, you could also bring in cables to connect to others handheld consoles. Pokemon or Magic fans might want to bring in cards for quick games too. And, oh yeah, you'll be in the library, so there will be plenty of books & magazines you could being reading while you wait for your next round.

As we continue to plan this exciting tournament, feel welcome to share with us any ideas you think we may be missing out on.

See you in April!