I recently read an excerpt from Jane McGonigal’s New York best seller “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World” book. McGonigal is a PhD from Berkley has and worked in the gamming industry for over a decade. The book seems really interesting, and it might be worth skimming through one day. McGonigal describes how gamers escape reality to the video game world because reality is broken, because we cannot find the camaraderie, the exhilaration, or the success in reality that we can get from games. She goes on to discuss how game are starting to transition towards games that are designed to “improve quality of life, to prevent suffering, and to create real, widespread
happiness.”
Now, I have never been a gamer. Probably because I am the little sister, and my brother used to whoop me at Mario Kart. I am one of those people who McGonigal says sees games as a waste of time. That being said, I love the idea of creating useful games for gamers. To turn something that is unproductive into something that can improve the world is an amazing idea that makes me less afraid of what the world will be like for my daughter.
I have a tangential thought on why gamers likely love games. I feel that my generation is the instant gratification generation. We love to be able to get what we want when we want it. We love fast food, smart phones, On-Demand, and the Internet. Because a lot of thing can come quickly and easily, we get annoyed when things actually take work. No wonder the divorce rate is around 50% (this, of course, coming from a divorcee). I believe that games are an extension of this instant gratification. In games, you can beat a world, a level, or a game in a matter of hours. There is constant achievement, entertainment, and friendships. The real world requires a lot of work, time, and determination to achieve the same goals, and sometimes hard work does not translate into results. That being said, I still thing the real world is where real progress should be made. I seriously worry about how my daughter is going to grow up. Is she going to want to be out in the world enjoying it, or is she going to want to be behind some type of technology all day? It’s not that technology isn’t good, but too much of a false reality can really start to mess with your brain, and physical movements are important.