Celebrating National Game and Puzzle Week Year-Round at MCLS

For those of you who have been following my journey as a Mercer County Library System Blog contributor, you surely remember some of my previous submissions, like the thrilling and action packed Solo Boardgames and 2017’s hit There’s No I in Team: Introducing the Cooperative Board Game. And if that’s the case, after reading this article’s title you are once again on the edge of your seat. Or maybe that’s not the case. Honestly, it probably isn’t.

Anyway, I’m here to talk about games again. This time to shine light on National Game and Puzzle Week and how the Mercer County Library System takes that idea and celebrates it year-round.

National Game and Puzzle Week is an annual event, starting on November 20^th this year and continuing through November 26^th, that celebrates all games and puzzles. From Chutes and Ladders to Warhammer 40k to mah jongg, and not forgetting jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, and crosswords, National Game and Puzzle Week does not discriminate when it comes to games and puzzles (I’m looking at your National Chess Day).

Promoted as a way to spend quality time with family and friends during the post-Thanksgiving holiday, National Game and Puzzle Week acts as a time to highlight the numerous benefits of playing board and table top games and tackling different types of puzzles. These benefits include the promotion of cognitive development, exercise for our memory, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills. They allow for social interaction and can promote team work and cooperation, and also work as tools for soothing anxiety and boosting self-confidence.

That all sounds great. So great that it shouldn’t be confined to a single week. Maybe games and puzzles should be celebrated throughout the year. I think so. And I’m not alone, because that’s what we do here at the Mercer County Library System!

Check out some of the ways you can celebrate National Game and Puzzle Week in November, or any other month, at the Mercer County Library System:

Our Virtual Branch

Your MCLS account gives access to a number of puzzles and games via our Virtual Branch. Among the databases, digital movies and music, ebooks, and online courses, you will find access to The Wallstreet Journal and The New York Times and their crosswords, number puzzles, Wordle, sudoku, Spelling Bee, Pips, etc. But wait, there’s more… MCLS also offers access to a number of digital newspaper and magazine databases, including Flipster, PressReader, and Libby. Within each of these you can find magazines and other publications that specialize in specific puzzles, like the People Celebrity Puzzler or the USA Today Puzzles, Crosswords and More!

Our Physical Branches

Looking for something a little more tactile and want to lower your blue light intake? Then stop by any of the Mercer County Library System’s nine branches and get your hands on printed puzzles, sit down and take part in a community jigsaw puzzles, or make photocopies of puzzles from our newspapers, magazines, and books.

Our Programs

Many of our branches have game and puzzle-related events for patrons of all ages. Check out our event calendar here! You’ll find chess programs, weekly board game clubs, mah jongg meet-ups, fellow Canasta cronies, and parties delving into Dungeons & Dragons. Of course, there are many other non-game and puzzle related events going on at the Mercer County Library System, so try searching for “game” and see what I mean.

Our Books

I know I’ve thrown a lot on you all at once and maybe you’re not quite ready to jump into the world of games and puzzles. You are more of a “measure twice and cut once” kind of person and would like to read up on this whole games and puzzles thing before committing. Well the Mercer County Library System has plenty of titles to help you dip your toes in before taking the plunge. Search through our catalog or stop by the reference desk to find the right book for you. Here are just a few titles to get you started:

It's All a Game: The History of Board Games from Monopoly to Settlers of Catan by Tristan Donovan
The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board & Table Games by Margaret K. Hofer
The Oxford History of Board Games by David Sidney Parlett
Four-letter Words: And Other Secrets of a Crossword Insider by Michelle Arnot
Cruciverbalism by Stanley Newman

As you can see, the Mercer County Library System takes National Game and Puzzle Week very seriously. From November 20^th to 26^th of 2025 we will be waving the banner of games and puzzles and will continue to do so into the new year. We hope you will join us!

Christopher
Ewing Reference