How donated laptops and Minecraft are making the library 'really cool' for these London kids

Hadi Khan loves playing video games, especially Minecraft. So when the 11-year-old went to his local library on Tuesday, he was surprised to discover new personalized laptops where he and his brothers can play it and other video games. 

The laptops were donated by community members and are part of the new program at London Public Library's Sherwood branch. It involves kids ages eight to 14 playing video games in a collaborative way.  

"We just wanted to come to the library, but I found this and decided to try it out. It feels really cool. I actually like it because I like to game and it's really comfortable," Hadi said.

Every weekday from 4 to 6 p.m. ET and on the weekends, the kids have a private room that can host eight players. They can pick from a variety of games, including Mincraft and Roblox.

Library supervisor Lily Keightley and her team noticed friction between kids wanting to game in groups, and others looking to use the library computers for searches and emails. The solution was a set of gaming laptops and a special room. 

"We had a lot of kids coming after school wanting to use our public computers to play games together on a regular basis, so we just felt that they needed their own space," she said. 

"They were looking for a different kind of space than what we offered and now they're able to get together and chit-chat, but also play the games that bring them together. There's a lot of camaraderie between them." 

A home away from home

Chase Macknott, 14, and his brother, Lucas Martz, 11, come to the library every day after school. They were some of the first people to use the laptops when they were set up last week. 

"Ever since we've been in here, we've met new friends and we've been playing this, Roblox, Fortnite and all of that," Chase said. 

"Before you could only play on those big computers and you could barely do anything, but you can do a lot more on the laptops, and the graphics are better too," Lucas added. 

Staff keeping track of the play say the interactions between them have been special, and the program allows kids to use resources they may not have at home due to financial barriers or challenging family situations.

The library is an important space for many of them. 

"It's an opportunity for the kids to socialize and try different skills, but it's also their home away from home," said librarian Carla Rogers. "This is the living room they may not have at their house."

Now that Hadi has discovered this program, he'll be coming to the library every day to game with his new friends.

Keightley said the library will continue to gauge response and hopes to start more programs for older youth in the future.