Rather than making us murderers and rapists, gaming may actually be molding us into positive, helpful members of society. That's if author and game designer Jane McGonigal has anything to say about it.
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.
Has anyone read her book, not sure if I should pick it up? Some of what she says sound like nonsense.
B.S it does.
Look at the facebook generation, you see a bunch of teenage girls in the same room and they'll all be looking at their mobile phone's typing messages on facebook rather than talking to each other.
With no local MP anymore people are completely disconnected. There is a reason incidences of social phobia and other social anxiety disorders are increasing exponentially.
A nice sentiment, but honestly, I doubt games make you a better or a worse person.
Then again....there's something to be said for the Roman saying "bread and circus". Perhaps video games are keeping us distracted enough not to bother with violent revolution, etc. Gaming is the glue holding civilization as we know it together! :)
But verbal wise its terrible, A girl gets on and guys just go crazy as if its the last one and start cussing them out and calling em sluts! Yeah idk seems like a way for guys to practice being assholes dont ya think? I know cause when me and my gf play CoD it happens.
playing Okami made me little bit of a good man. Since you play as a God i was compelled to talk and listen to everyone's problems in the game. a practice i partially followed in real life. q;