Satisfying Work

Chapter 3 of Jane McGonigal's book, Reality is Broken

1. One of the ideas that Jane McGonigal hits on several times in her interviews and in her book, is the idea that humans need to be involved in blissful productivity.  The require the feeling of being a necessary component to finishing a meaningful task.  As humans, we desire results, and we desire them now. McGonigal explains that through gaming, game players experience these immediate and obvious results.
2. As an example in her book, McGonigal talks about the video game, World of Warcraft. In this game, players are given tasks to do which will improve both their avatar as well as the world around them. This game requires a whopping 500 hours of gameplay before players say that the real fun begins.  In the real world, this would seem unfathomable to work at something for 500 hours - or even to want to work at something for 500 hours! However, game players truly enjoy the work they are involved in and would be disappointed if there was less work for them to do.
3. Players want to be given more work! They love the thrill of a challenge that is just a little bit beyond their ability level. It is close enough to their skill level so that they can still experience success and not so hard that they will assume failure. In education, we call this the Zone of Proximal Development. It is just as important for students to be given tasks that are challenging, but they know they can be successful at, as it is for gamers to have these challenging, yet success-bound tasks.
4. There are two essential pieces needed in order for work to be considered satisfying. 
1. Work must have a clear goal. With a clear goal, we know exactly what we are supposed to do and why it matters in the first place.
2. Work must have actionable next steps. With steps, we know how we will go about achieving that goal. Steps are crucial, because without them, the goal becomes a problem. It leads only to frustration instead of satisfaction.
5. In World of Warcraft, McGonigal explains, there is never any doubt about what you are supposed to do, why you are doing it, where you will go to do it, how you will do it, or how you will know you have done it.  There is no problem solving to it; you are given a task and told how to do it. When you do it, you receive rewards. I think problem solving should definitely still be a major component in the classroom, but I do think that students would feel more successful when teachers told them what they would be doing and why it mattered even before beginning the task. Also, by given them instructions or expectations, the students would have more confidence and satisfaction in their work.
6. Another major component to gaining the feeling of being blissfully productive is by receiving immediate feedback. In the game world, gamers are easily able to see their progress through leveling up, achieving +1 statuses, and earning points and rewards toward their avatar or game world. In the real world we do not always get this same kind of positive affirmation. It is in our human nature to desire to be recognized for the good things we have achieved. We want tangible and audible records of a job well done. It builds our self worth and gives us a feeling that someone notices us and finds us valuable and finds our work important.
7. The visual effect known as phasing, allows game players to change their game world for the better. By beating a level or destroying bad guys, the virtual world becomes a better looking place. Being able to see a visual manifestation of all of their hard works, gamers are motivated to make other parts of their game more beautiful as well.  Gamers have the feeling that they are making an impact on their world.
8. The reason why video games feel so productive, when we are really just sitting on a couch, is because they have goals, steps, and vivid and immediate feedback. These are needed in any work environment. Happiness, success, and motivation comes from this feeling of being truly productive.
9. Even shorter games, or "casual games," can create a short burst of productivity. I used to play Diner Dash all the time when I was in middle and high school. This game was a simulation of being a waitress. During the game, I was constantly needing to take orders, seat guests, find the correct food, and bring it to the right tables to keep customers satisfied. I, myself, was satisfied when all of my customers finally went home for the night, and I was able to collect all of my points and tips. I believe it taught me multi-tasking, and eventually, when I became a waitress in real life, I almost felt more prepared to handle all of the things thrown at me. 
10. McGonigal says that the best-designed games work so well, because they have this idea of blissful productivity in mind. When we feel like we are making progress as well as an impact, we will continue to come back to games like this. Games provide a feeling of reward and satisfaction that we do not always receive in real life.