GAMERT (Gaming) Round Table

 View Only
last person joined: 10 hours ago 

The mission of the Games and Gaming Round Table is to provide the following:
  • A forum for the exchange of ideas and concerns surrounding games in libraries;
  • Resources to the library community to support the building and maintaining of library game collections;
  • A force for initiating and supporting game programming in libraries;
  • Create an awareness of, and need for, the support of the value of gaming and play in libraries, schools, and related learning communities.
  • Create an awareness of the value of games and gaming in library outreach and community engagement plans.
  • A professional and social forum for networking among librarians and non-librarians interested in games and gaming.

Back to discussions
Expand all | Collapse all

Settlers of Catan and other colonialistic Games - One page insert?

  • 1.  Settlers of Catan and other colonialistic Games - One page insert?

    Posted Oct 13, 2025 12:01 PM
    Hi fellow Gaming Librarians, 

    As I was reflecting on Indigenous Peoples Day over the weekend, my mind drifted back to Settlers of Catan, a game I first played in 1996 when a friend brought it back from a trip to Germany. I know it is now considered a classic intro board game, and we do have a copy in our library, but I can't ignore the dominant narrative of colonialism present in the game. 

    I was wondering if anyone has included like a one-page insert in their Library's copy of the game that explains the harm of settler colonialism and offers alternative games to consider (like Spirit Island)? 

    with care, 
    Jeffra

    --
    Jeffra Diane Bussmann (she/her/hers), MLIS
    Librarian, Information Studies Department
    Liaison to Chemistry/Biochemistry, Mathematics, Physics
        and the Institute for STEM Education
    Interim Liaison to Earth & Environmental Sciences, 
       and Engineering
    ASK ME about the Tabletop Games! 

    California State University, East Bay
    University Library
    25800 Carlos Bee Blvd.
    Hayward, CA 94542

    Student Visiting Hours: 
            Mondays, 9-10am (zoom, make a reservation)
            Thursdays, 3-4pm (my office, CB 266)
            or Email me for an Appointment

    As a member of the Cal State East Bay community with an office on the Hayward campus, I acknowledge that I am a guest on the unceded land of the First People of this region, the present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe of the San Francisco Bay Area (formerly Verona Band of Alameda County). I support the sovereignty of this Chochenyo-Ohlone-speaking tribal group and other indigenous peoples. This acknowledgment was created by the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe with the support of the CSUEB Indigenous Acknowledgement Collective and is a living document. Full CSUEB Muwekma Ohlone Tribal Land Acknowledgement  / Whose land are you on?