International Games Week – Nov. 7, 2026

Expected International Games Week Deals

While International Games Week focuses on library-led events, the period often sees promotions from game publishers and retailers. Expect deals on popular board games from brands like Asmodee and Ravensburger, as well as digital game sales on platforms such as Steam and the Nintendo eShop. Local game stores may offer discounts on new releases and accessories. Libraries themselves often have giveaways or special prizes for participants. We will update this page with confirmed live deals as November approaches.

History of International Games Week

The history of International Games Week is the history of libraries since the event is held yearly in them. The library has constantly changed over the millennia, from antiquity and renaissance to the enlightenment era and modern public libraries.

The first libraries were discovered in Southwest Asia’s Fertile Crescent around 3000 B.C., considered the birthplace of writing. These libraries had bookshelves of wooden boxes, woven reed baskets, or clay shelves that held clay tablets or papyrus. Similar libraries were found in Ancient Egypt, Persia, and Nineveh. The most incredible library of that time was the Great Library of Alexandria in Egypt. It was constructed in the 3rd century and served as a significant center of scholarship for the ancient world before the Roman conquest in 30 B.C.

Libraries strived during the Greco-Roman period. They served to demonstrate status and were owned by wealthy patrons, such as merchants, senators, and military men. An example is the Library of Celsus in Ephesus, Anatolia, which was built to honor Roman Senator Tiberius Julius Celsus Polemaeanus. There was also an increase in public and private libraries during this period, with the latter featuring bookshelves of citrus wood inlaid with ivory.

The Renaissance saw libraries as the center for academic study and the congregation place of scholars, learned, and enlightened individuals. The major Renaissance libraries include the Malatestiana Library in Venice, Bibliotheca Corviniana in Hungary, and Tianyi Chamber in China. The Enlightenment era can be described as the golden era of libraries, with the rise of subscription libraries, book clubs, and national libraries in Britain and Europe.

With the 19th century came laws and policies that enabled libraries to strive across the United Kingdom, although some were lost to German bombings. In 1833, the U.S. saw the opening of its first tax-supported public library in Peterborough, New Hampshire. Legislations and the founding of the Carnegie Library Endowment led to 75–80% of the libraries across the United States. The 19th century also saw the founding of the American School Library, the American Library, and African American literary societies.

n the 21st century, libraries became digital as books also transformed from paperback to ebooks and audiobooks. That made it easier for people to access information and knowledge, even in areas without libraries. But that negatively impacted the number of people using library services, as people then don’t have to visit libraries to access books. This is one of the reasons why the American Library Association collaborated with national library associations in other countries to introduce International Games Week to reconnect people with the libraries in their communities.

How Businesses Can Celebrate International Games Week