Looking for something free to do with children next weekend? In Haidhausen, Munich’s Stadtbibliothek im Motorama (Rosenheimer Straße 30–32) hosts a Mega Gaming Day on 17 October. Two weeks later, during Bavaria’s autumn holidays, the TOMMI Games Award moves into the same library.
Mega Gaming Day. Saturday 17 October, 1pm to 7pm. Entry is free and no registration is needed. The programme includes video games on consoles and gaming laptops, retro games, card duels, tabletop tasters and pen-and-paper role-playing rounds. Children and adults of any age are welcome, though some areas are 12 and over. According to the listing, the exact stations will only be confirmed shortly before the day.
TOMMI Games Award. Monday 2 to Friday 6 November, daily from noon to 2pm (these times come from the IN München listing; the city’s muenchen.de page gives the date without a time). Children and teenagers aged 8 to 16 can take part, free of charge. They try out new games, apps and software, play together and rate them.
TOMMI is run by the TOMMI.kids portal; this is the 25th edition, under the patronage of Federal Education Minister Karin Prien. Alongside an expert jury of journalists, scientists and educators, a children’s jury takes part, and the organisers say it “always has the final say”. Anyone in Munich who wants to join the jury must register by 14 October, using the flyer at the library or by email to the address in the listing.
Our view: for families who have only recently arrived in Germany, this is a low-threshold way in. A console or a board game needs little German, and children from the neighbourhood tend to find a game in common quickly. Whether it suits a particular child depends on their age and the games on offer, which is hard to judge from afar.
It is unclear how crowded it will get or how long queues at individual stations will be. To avoid a wasted trip, check the library’s events calendar the day before.
Sources: muenchen.de, TOMMI.kids, IN München: Mega Gaming Day, IN München: TOMMI
