Libraries Are For: (A) Reading Books or (B) Playing Games

Libraries are still a thing?

The wife dragged me down to the local library. She wanted to find a book on Thailand, since we’re trying to plan a trip to SteemFest later this year. Well, apparently she never heard of the internet, because she insisted on borrowing (and then lugging around) thin slices of tree that are bound together and inscribed with ink. Books are so 80s, right?

Surprisingly, there were cars in the parking lot. I guess people still DO read books! Maybe the whole library concept isn’t so silly.

Nope. Scratch that. Upon entering the library, we quickly noticed that every single “patron” of the establishment was NOT there for books and reading.

They were there for the computers.

More specifically, they were there to play games.

Considering what I do for a living, it didn’t take long for me to start pondering what life will be like in a couple of years. Browser-based games like Splinterlands will be used everywhere to help families get a financial leg up. Maybe keep kids off the street or from doing something stupid and illegal.

If a game is easily accessible and provides an opportunity to earn cryptocurrency that can be converted into money that helps pay the bills...it’s exciting to see how blockchain is going to empower people.

The other thing I noticed is how much I missed the smell of books. The paper, the textures.

I walked up and down the aisles. I slid my fingers across the cracked spines of so many stories and adventures. It brought back memories of my nerdy self, reading every book I could get my hands on. Each book was a portal to another world, full of life and character.

My imagination was always pretty wild, and books were the catalyst that sparked my creativity for so many things. It went hand-in-hand with drawing, writing, photography, and so many other things. Things that led me to where I am today.

My resistance to going to the dumb, stupid library quickly gave way to nostalgia and a deep urge to start reading again.

I think I’ll hunt down the latest Jack Reacher book. Or maybe I’ll see if Jim Butcher has put out anything recently.

Anyone out there reading anything good?