I was recently accepted as one of 500 players selected to play the NYPL Find the Future game! I actually applied because I read about it on someone's twitter feed and thought it would be so cool to spend the night at the museum and try to write a book together through a scavenger hunt!
Jane McGonigal who wrote, Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, is running the event and the title of this book is intriguing especially for someone who hasn't been an active gamer. Part of me does think of video games as escapist and a waste of time but I like Jane's answer and want to read her book!
NYPL: Some think gaming is escapist. Can games change the world?
JM: That’s the biggest misperception. Gaming is productive. It produces positive emotion, stronger social relationships, a sense of accomplishment, and for players who are part of a game community, a chance to build a sense of purpose. I’m interested in bringing this mindset to our real lives and efforts to tackle the world’s most urgent problems, from curing cancer to slowing climate change.
JM: That’s the biggest misperception. Gaming is productive. It produces positive emotion, stronger social relationships, a sense of accomplishment, and for players who are part of a game community, a chance to build a sense of purpose. I’m interested in bringing this mindset to our real lives and efforts to tackle the world’s most urgent problems, from curing cancer to slowing climate change.
I think it is really interesting to try to find a way to bring the best of gaming into real life. I look forward to reporting on how it goes for me and 499 others on May 20th!
If you are interested in learning more about gaming mechanics, give this link here a read. It is what convinced me that our world already has plenty of game dynamics in it-- we just don't describe it as such.
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