Strengthen

Interview with Game Designer Jane McGonigalhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqKmzRw78S0

In her one minute interview, game designer Jane McGonigal describes how games can actually strengthen and enhance people's real lives. She says that they impact people in the following positive ways.

• Games increase optimism and sense of ambition. When people play games that they are good at, they feel successful. The feeling of success alone can motivate people to go out into the real world to set even higher goals to achieve. They say, "If I can achieve this, surely I can achieve that also." Personally, I have played games which were very difficult to pass the level. When I did end up passing it, I felt victorious and like I could do many other things if I put my mind to it!
• Games strengthen social relationships. When playing a game with someone, you form a common bond over the game. You learn to like each other more, and even to trust each other more if you are helping each other to beat a level. I have witnessed this especially with my brother who has Xbox Live. Here, he is able to play his games with his friends even if they are not together. They are able to talk through a headset and communicate while the game is taking place. Also, I know several boys whose idea of hanging out and spending quality time together is through play video games together. It truly does strengthen their bond with one another.
• Games give a sense of awe and wonder. When you are in awe of something, you are more likely to be cooperative of it. In one of my field experiences, students were able to use an app which allowed the teacher to drop them a question to their individual iPads where they could then write a response and send it back to her all wirelessly. The students were in complete awe with how this worked, and therefore they were very cooperative and engaged with this learning activity.
• Games increase productivity. Throughout a game, you are consistently "getting things done." For students who are very motivated by the feeling of being productive, this can be transitioned outside of the game to get things done as well. For me, I am very highly motivated by the feeling of being productive. Learning through a game where, for example, I must serve people at a restaurant or make a product to be sold or just any task in particular that has many parts to it, would motivate me to be even more productive outside the game world.