Jane McGonigal's on how games can make us better people, and ultimately change the world.
In her new book, Reality Is Broken, Jane McGonigal argues that the rules, rewards and feedback offered by modern videogames can be used to make the world a happier and more productive place. We sit down with her to learn more.
Forbes: Jane McGonigal’s first book, Reality Is Broken (2011), was an international bestseller. In it she celebrated the positive aspects of gaming. The book, along with Jane’s other work, has been enormously influential. The particular ways in which she framed mainstream psychological and neurological research so as to apply it to video games has subsequently become the game-industry standard. What’s more, even folks who know very little about gaming are familiar with her work. Whenever I tell people about my own work, they immediately tell me about watching one of Jane’s very popular TED talks.
Her highly anticipated new book, SUPERBETTER: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient–Powered by the Science of Games, was just released. It is a book that’s “not about playing games—at least, not exactly.” She explains in the introduction, “It’s about learning how to be gameful in the face of extreme stress and personal challenge.”
Formerly Woman Crush Wednesday, Spotlight! carries the torch of giving the industry's best and brightest their 1000 words of fame! Jarrett writes:
"McGonigal’s focus on alternate reality and location based interactive experiences stems from her pronounced interest in the human experience, and specifically our biological fondness of games in any form. In her book Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better, and How They Can Change the World, she highlights the very easy to understand concept, at once declaring and proving a thesis that any gamer can relate to. “A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we’re good at (or getting better at) and enjoy.” She adds, ”In other words, game play is the direct emotional opposite of depression.” Maybe she’s never played Dark Souls. Or maybe she’s better at Dark Souls than me."
Few people have made more effort to speak positively about video games in public than game designer, author, and researcher Jane McGonigal. She's the opposite of all those people who trash games in the media and, in this week's Quick Q&A, she's got four answers for us and one big question for all of you.
Really interesting interview, I like what she has to say about the commonly held perceptions being based on a gap in understanding. That rings true with much of my experience, makes me think of the folks I know that like to watch, not play, sports everyday and still think gaming is weird. ;)
reality is for people that are too casual to play video games lol.
She must not have spent too much time on Live or PSN because I've never encountered more racist, homophobic, misogynistic people in my life.
Don't even get me started on how selfish people are in objective games, half people sit there trying to get their k/d up instead of playing the game.
She sounds a bit too much like some activist recruiter who thinks video games can work like scooby snacks to keep bored flighty people shouting publicly about things they don't actually care much about and thus bring social pressure on people who probably don't deserve it. Games are a way she can get people to be her boxing gloves and save her knuckles.