“Game design isn’t just a technological craft. It’s a twenty-first-century way of thinking and leading.” ~Jane McGonigal
Reality Is Broken: How Games Makes Us Better And Why They Can Change The World
Overall I give this book a 4.4 out of 5.
First some fascinating things about the author…
Jane McGonigal helps large companies and organizations adopt game design as an innovation strategy. I first heard about her when I saw her TED talk. She argues that games are the most important medium of the 21st century. Her personal mission is to see a game developer win a Nobel Peace Prize in the next 25 years. Finally, she is supremely credible and believes in games so much that she created a game to pull her out of a depression after a head trauma accident: TED talk #2.
Because this booked rocked my world to such a high degree…I had to span my thoughts over 2 posts.
Part 1 I will highlight the 5 most highly influential quotes:
#1 - Games Stroke Our Appetite for Greatness
“Gamers want to know: Where, in the real world, is that gamer sense of being fully alive, focused, and engaged in every moment? Where is the gamer feeling of power, heroic purpose, and community? Where are the bursts of exhilarating and creative game accomplishment? Where is the heart-expanding thrill of success and team victory”
(I believe this is the same rally cry of the Millennials which is why I believe gamification will fundamentally change the workplace and leadership.)
#2 - Games Engage Like No Other
“A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we’re good at (or getting better at) and enjoy. In other words, gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression.”
#3 - Games Fill Our Purpose Void
“Games enrich us with intrinsic rewards. They actively engage us in satisfying work that we have the chance to be successful at. They give us a highly structured way to spend time and build bonds with people we like. And if we play a game long enough, with a big enough network of players, we feel a part of something bigger than ourselves—part of an epic story, an important project, or a global community.”
#4 - Games Could Plug Your Team's Creativity Leak
How do we leverage “nine-to-fivers who come home and apply all of the smarts and talents that are underutilized at work to plan and coordinate complex raids and quests in massively multiplayer online games?”
#5 - Games Challenge Us to Innovate & Fail Forward
“They (gamers) know how to facilitate cooperation and collaboration at previously unimaginable scales. And they are continuously innovating new ways to motivate players to stick with harder challenges, for longer, and in much bigger groups. These crucial twenty-first-century skills can help all of us find new ways to make a deep and lasting impact on the world around us.”
Only Downsides of Book:
It was a bit lengthy and I found myself scanning towards the end of the book.
Since it's publication in 2011, it has become a bit dated with some of it's examples so a revised edition would be helpful.
Favorite Quote: “The people who understand the power and potential of games to both make us happy and change reality will be the people who invent our future.”
Question: How do you envision games will alter your reality in the near future?
