Jane McGonigal

A remarkable life plan developed from the program four hundred thousand people have used to recover from setbacks and injuries and achieve personal growth In 2009, game designer and author Jane McGonigal suffered a severe concussion that wouldn’t heal. Unable to think clearly, or work, or even get out of bed, she became anxious and depressed, even suicidal—a common symptom for concussion sufferers. But rather than let herself sink further, she decided to get better by doing what she does best: she turned her recovery process into a game. What started as a simple motivational exercise became a set of rules she shared on her blog. These rules became a digital game, then an online portal and a major research study with the National Institutes of Health. Today more than 400,000 people have played SuperBetter to get happier and healthier. But the ideas behind SuperBetter are much bigger than just one game. In this book, McGonigal reveals a decade’s worth of scientific research into the ways all games change how we respond to stress, challenge, and pain. She explains how we can cultivate new powers of recovery and resilience in everyday life simply by adopting a gameful mind-set. Being gameful means bringing the same psychological strengths we naturally display when we play games—such as optimism, creativity, courage, and determination—to real-world situations. McGonigal explores the best ways to harness these gameful skills in the real world not only to experience “posttraumatic growth,” but also to tackle positive life goals, achieving what she calls “postecstatic growth.” To show how, she shares stories and data from players who have followed the SuperBetter rules to get stronger, happier, and braver in the face of depression, anxiety, illness, and injury, as well as to achieve major goals like losing weight, running a marathon, or finding a new job. The SuperBetter method contains seven rules for activating gameful strengths in everyday life, distilled from McGonigal’s own pioneering work and that of others. SuperBetter the book turns these rules into playful challenges anyone can undertake while reading in a series of quests that explain the science behind the benefits. Playing by the seven rules begins to yield life-changing benefits in a matter of days, and eventually they become an ingrained skill set. As inspiring as it is down to earth, grounded in rigorous research, and powered by game design, SuperBetter is a proven game plan for a better life. You’ll never say that something is “just a game” again.

Visionary game designer Jane McGonigal reveals how we can harness the power of games to solve real-world problems and boost global happiness.More than 174 million Americans are gamers, and the average young person in the United States will spend ten thousand hours gaming by the age of twenty-one. According to world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal, the reason for this mass exodus to virtual worlds is that videogames are increasingly fulfilling genuine human needs. In this groundbreaking exploration of the power and future of gaming, McGonigal reveals how we can use the lessons of game design to fix what is wrong with the real world.Drawing on positive psychology, cognitive science, and sociology, Reality Is Broken uncovers how game designers have hit on core truths about what makes us happy and utilized these discoveriesto astonishing effect in virtual environments. Videogames consistently provide the exhilarating rewards, stimulating challenges, and epic victories that are so often lacking in the real world. But why, McGonigal asks, should we use the power of games for escapist entertainment alone? Her research suggests that gamers are expert problem solvers and collaborators because they regularly cooperate with other players to overcome daunting virtual challenges, and she helped pioneer a fast-growing genre of games that aims to turn gameplay to socially positive ends.In Reality Is Broken , she reveals how these new alternate reality games are already improving the quality of our daily lives, fighting social problems such as depression and obesity, and addressing vital twenty-first-century challenges-and she forecasts the thrilling possibilities that lie ahead. She introduces us to games like World Without Oil, a simulation designed to brainstorm-and therefore avert- the challenges of a worldwide oil shortage, and Evoke, a game commissioned by the World Bank Institute that sends players on missions to address issues from poverty to climate change.McGonigal persuasively argues that those who continue to dismiss games will be at a major disadvantage in the coming years. Gamers, on the other hand, will be able to leverage the collaborative and motivational power of games in their own lives, communities, and businesses. Written for gamers and nongamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows us that the future will belong to those who can understand, design, and play games.

World-renowned future forecaster, game designer, and NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Jane McGonigal gives us the tools to imagine the future without fear."An accessible, optimistic field guide to the future."—San Francisco Chronicle"Reading this book is like sitting down with a creative, optimistic friend—and getting up as a new version of yourself."—Daniel H. Pink, New York Times bestselling author of WhenThe COVID-19 pandemic, increasingly frequent climate disasters, a new war — events we might have called “unimaginable” or “unthinkable” in the past are now reality. Today it feels more challenging than ever to feel unafraid, hopeful, and equipped to face the future with optimism. How do we map out our lives when it seems impossible to predict what the world will be like next week, let alone next year or next decade? What we need now are strategies to help us recover our confidence and creativity in facing uncertain futures.In Imaginable, Jane McGonigal draws on the latest scientific research in psychology and neuroscience to show us how to train our minds to think the unthinkable and imagine the unimaginable. She invites us to play with the provocative thought experiments and future simulations she’s designed exclusively for this book, with the goal to: Build our collective imagination so that we can dive into the future and envision, in surprising detail, what our lives will look like ten years from now Develop the courage and vision to solve problems creatively Take actions and make decisions that will help shape the future we desire Access "urgent optimism," an unstoppable force within each of us that activates our sense of agencyImaginable teaches us to be fearless, resilient, and bold in realizing a world with possibilities we cannot yet imagine—until reading this transformative, inspiring, and necessary book

SUMMARY OF THE BOOKbyJane McGonigalHow to see the future coming and feel Ready for anything – Eventhings that seem impossible todaysummarised by Emmanuel Thompson Jane McGonigal is a future caster, reality game designer, and director of game research and development at the Institution for the Future. She is the author of two New York Times bestsellers. Reality is Broken and SuperBetter and teaches a course on How to think like a futurist at Stanford University. Her TED talks about how gammy can improve life and solve current problems. And her books have been viewed more than a million times.

What simple activity can help you reduce cravings and even prevent PTSD? Writer and game designer Jane McGonigal has the answer. Revolutionary Insights is curated from the Computer History Museum's Revolutionaries interview series and is brought to you by Audible. This talk was originally recorded on September 22, 2015.

[Contains explicit content] How can playing a game help you deal with life's daily challenges? Writer and game designer Jane McGonigal shares the daily tasks presented by her game SuperBetter, and how following these steps can lead to a healthier future. Revolutionary Insights is curated from the Computer History Museum's Revolutionaries interview series and is brought to you by Audible. This talk was originally recorded on September 22, 2015.