Latter-day Gamers

The world of games has become a huge industry. Sales of board games are over $3 billion each year, video games are over $90 billion in The United States alone, and even card games generate almost a billion dollars. Students who once looked forward to working in the animation industry now look to game creation. The Latter-day Saint culture has strong connections to the creation of games.

The BYU Library’s new exhibit, located in Special Collections on level 1 of the library, features a selection of games from our collections. Not only are there board games and card games, but visitors can try their hand at early electronic games such as PONG. There is even a vintage Atari console connected to an old-school cathode ray tube TV for people looking for the true 8-bit experience.

The exhibit is divided into sections with church themed games, games created by members of the church, and interactive stations where games can be played. Just outside the exhibit space there are tables with Nephite vs Lamanite chess sets and game timers that students use during study breaks.

The exhibit is open from 8:00 am until 9:00 pm Monday through Thursday, with an hour closing at 11:00 am on Tuesday for devotional, and 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Friday. On Saturday the exhibit is open from 10:00 am until 6:00 pm.

Admission is free and the public is welcome.

The exhibit will run through June 2023.