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Welcome to another edition of Gaming Tales. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on inside the minds of the LadiesGamers writers, check out our other Gaming Tales, Paula’s Game Ramblings and YvoCaro Plays.

In this Gaming Tale with Laurane (my first one, I’m nervous already!) I’m going to chat about video games and the place they have in my workplace.

New in Town: The Explorers

If you didn’t know, I’m a librarian. More specifically, I work in the digital team. Among many other things, part of my job is to help anyone from 6 to 99 years old (and beyond, why not?) discover, experience, and explore the magical world of video games. Naturally, 80% of my visitors are still young people.

Picture this. A big screen full of colours, laughter echoing through the hallways, loud debates about the best way to solve a puzzle or win a fight, excitement, tension. Or sometimes a calm, peaceful atmosphere. All of that is more than enough to attract newcomers. Even the ones who have never touched a controller seem mysteriously drawn to the room, like sirens calling them inside.

The “discovery” phase can take many shapes. Sometimes it means showing kids how to handle a controller in Mario Kart so they can ease into things. Sometimes it means having a fifteen-minute chat with someone to understand what media they usually enjoy, just so I can suggest three games that might suit them.

Once, a teenager told me, passionately, how much she hated her last family seaside vacation… and then spent ten minutes enthusiastically reviewing the latest horror movies she’d seen. I immediately pointed her towards Dredge on PS5. And let me tell you: she loved it! She came every week for two months just to finish every single quest.

I mean, who would say no to a little Lovecraftian fishing time?

Sometimes, “introducing games” also means playing for five to ten minutes with them, until a curious crowd forms around us, and then I can step back and watch a whole new friendship bloom. (Because yes, you can believe how community-oriented video games are, you read LadiesGamers, right?) For this, I’m definitely looking at* Pico Park*. Funnily enough, it’s not my cup of tea at all. I wouldn’t have bet on it. And yet… here we are.

It’s genuinely fascinating to watch gamers form themselves right in front of you. You see the newborn completionist. The game hopper (who wants to change games every fifteen minutes, fully happy with the constant variety). The kids who are up for anything you suggest. And the opposite: the ones who only want one game and reject everything else with fierce dedication. (The one I’m thinking of the much loved Animal Crossing. And only that. My first encounter with this delightful, very specific category of gamer.)

I love introducing video games to everyone, of course. I wish more adults would fall into the rabbit hole. But children… there’s something especially rewarding about helping them discover games. They have no barriers, no preconceived ideas about what a game should be or look like. Their only concern is to have fun, to be fully immersed in a piece of art. And that’s such a beautiful thing.

The Regulars

Now, let’s move on to the slightly more “advanced” gamers. The ones who come in only to play FIFA 25, alone or with anyone willing at the moment. The ones who never stray from a single genre (sports games, usually). Or the ones who, even though they always return to their comfort zone, still like to browse our shelves each time we add new games to the collection.

These visitors need a more delicate approach. They already know why they’re here, what they plan to play, long before they walk into the room. Convincing them to deviate slightly from their plans, to try a new flavour, while still respecting their tastes and letting them be the ones to say “actually… that might be a good idea”, is a kind of wordplay all its own. One that I’m not too bad at, if I do say so myself. But I digress.

Transferring a Minecraft-only fan toward Cult of the Lamb, or even “worse”, Dordogne, is the kind of badge of honour I’ll keep with me for years.

Exploration, it is!

In this regard, food analogies are perfect. Contrary to what people think, it’s just as “tricky” to introduce new flavours to teenagers as to adults. Teens are already overloaded all day long; gaming time is their rest time, not the moment to figure out what other genres could suit them. For adults, it’s more like: once their favourite genre is established, nothing else will do. I’ve met adults utterly convinced they hated horror, that they could never enjoy a game in the genre until I suggested Killer Frequency. They were fully committed and loved it!

They remind me that I should also, from time to time, widen my own gaming palate. And sometimes their feedback reignites my interest in a game… and yes, adds yet another title to the ever-growing wishlist. But let’s not dwell on that.

The knowledge keepers

And then there are the ones who come in just to get one specific game and leave immediately. And then come back next week. And the next week… and the next…At my workplace, they’re usually the ones with the most to teach you, if you catch them at the right moment before they disappear again.

They can give you a full thirty-minute presentation about a game or a genre, with introduction and sources at the top of their tongue. They’re the ones who made me realise how much I still have to learn about gaming. And I adore interacting with them for that reason. I mean, who would have imagined the* LEGO games *had such a rich and complex history? Certainly not me.

Their favourite!

I’ll Stop the Ramble … For Now

Being able to bring one of your passions into your work life is a gift. Being able to share that enthusiasm with others is even better.

I love witnessing how games can change things for someone. How can they open people to new social interactions, create friendships between former strangers, soothe the background noise of life, stimulate the mind gently, or let someone discover new places and eras in meaningful ways? Fortunately, we don’t all embrace the world in the same way. And gaming is undeniably one of the ways many people do just that. I’m proud to add my little stone to the tower, both personally and professionally.

If you’d like, feel free to share in the comments what kind of personal, professional, or collective gaming moments you’ve witnessed. I’m always curious to get a glimpse into other gamers’ ecosystems, so please, tell me everything!

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