Gaming Can Make a Better World

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Can gamers make a better world? Game developer Jane McGonigal seems to think that all gamers possess the skills needed to save the world. Overall it is a pretty good speech with some very valid points and, at the very least, it’ll make you feel better about being a gamer. ;) Thanks to Jason Carney for the link.
 
My favorite part: "an epic win is an outcome that is so extraordinarily positive you had no idea it was even possible until you achieved it; it is almost beyond the threshold of imagination, and when you get there, you are shocked to discover what you are truly capable of."

Now go ask that girl out! ;)
 
this is the best video about gaming I have seen so far......

It just amazing....
 
That was a really good presentation. I was a little skeptical about it at first but the speaker explained it perfectly.

bring on the world saving games, I'll pledge 10000+ hours :)
 
I'm just glad Youtube isn't blocked at work today, it could have been a rickroll and I would have watched.

That said, we need more people like Jane!
 
If gamers carry the habits from the oil shortage game out of the game world and into the real world, if games effect how we are when we're not playing them, isn't there just a slight chance that violent games really do affect how quickly somebody takes to violence? I'm a gamer myself, but it just seems like you can't really say games have a positive bleedthrough effect yet entirely dismiss that some games might have a negative effect.
 
If gamers carry the habits from the oil shortage game out of the game world and into the real world, if games effect how we are when we're not playing them, isn't there just a slight chance that violent games really do affect how quickly somebody takes to violence? I'm a gamer myself, but it just seems like you can't really say games have a positive bleedthrough effect yet entirely dismiss that some games might have a negative effect.

I think thats a great point that you made.

With regard to the video... definately interesting theory this girl is creating. I think it took her way too long to get to the point, but aside from that, the use of games to impact how we react to lifes difficulties could be a great tool for teaching or allowing us to figure out what would be most beneficial.
 
Jane McGonigal is truly awesome. Not only is she an avid gamer, and a great person, she is one of the masterminds behind the ARG ILoveBees (Among others). If ever there was a person who knows gaming and gamers, she is it!
 
If gamers carry the habits from the oil shortage game out of the game world and into the real world, if games effect how we are when we're not playing them, isn't there just a slight chance that violent games really do affect how quickly somebody takes to violence? I'm a gamer myself, but it just seems like you can't really say games have a positive bleedthrough effect yet entirely dismiss that some games might have a negative effect.

I think what you are confusing is that the sort of things learned from the social experiment games she mentioned had positive results when applied to reality, whereas the things "learned" from violent video games do not necessarily have positive results when applied to reality. As human beings one of our abilities is the ability to reason and decide. If we can decide when something is "bad" then we are not inclined to do it. Learning how to be violent through violent video games is not proven to change whether we think such an act in reality is "bad" or "good" and as such I would argue does not significantly influence our violent behavior in reality for the worse.
 
Super empowered hopeful individual
Wasn't it gamers who came up with the phrase "epic FAIL"

I think she's a bit over enthusiastic.

Guess she doesn't know about cheaters either.

Personally, I think life is a game, albeit an unfair one with bad odds of success. If you apply her reasoning to real life you end up with a whole lot of disappointed people.

But hey, it's only a GAME!
 
Wow... this speech was much better than I thought.

I think there's one big flaw though... not all games are the same. People lump all games into one category and that's definitely not true. She likes to use World of Warcraft a lot... but there's a huge difference between how I was when I played WOW and how I am now with the games I play now.
 
Thanks Steve for that inspiring video. It's no wonder the military is also using games to help train our soldiers.
 
Then the real problem is that politicians are not playing enough games to apply them in real life situations. Since they are not able to get anything done that will actually solve a problem
 
I'm about 5mins in the video, I'm already loving the speech, and the number of times the word "epic" is being used.

Kudos to Jane.
 
she's probably had such good experiences because every nerd in the game instantly pops a chubby / goes out of their way to do whatever for her.

anything with a penis is more likely to get "STFU FAGGOT"
 
I don't even play games online these days. Maybe sometimes. Kids are assholes, moody, demanding and discourteous overall. I'm not seeing the positive connection here. :-D

I do see the connection between puzzle solving skills and games. On the same token, imagine a world of thinkers that only think like gamers or game designers. Maybe only indie game gamers would be the smart ones? I don't know. :-D I think this is a stretch. You get good at life by getting out there and doing things with other human beings and I think not seeing humans some how takes away from humanity. Gaming is usually an excuse not to see people or not do something else. The social aspect is very narrow to me. The gamers you see or hear onscreen are still just avatars of actual people with actual problems and RL skills (other than gaming).

I don't consider hanging out with buddies and having a LAN game or playing online and then hanging out chatting or going out being the same as what I said above. Completely different and very social. I don't think the majority of people do this though.

Just a weird presentation to me. The information was neat, but there's tons of over disciplines other than gaming that humans should spend time on. Gaming doesn't seem to make me better at my job. :-D That being said, I do love gaming... and I'm addicted to it. *sobs*
 
How can she seriously not list the fact that certain games teach people to have exceptional hand eye coordination. I see a whole fleet of future drone pilots in our future. Make the thing super easy to land, like in a video game, and we could probably field and army of the things right now. Not to mention they are building things for ground operations as well. It's not exactly saving the world, but it's something real and tangible. WOW players need not apply. There is no such thing as casting aura of invincibility, or any earrings that are +1 to terrorism resist. The RTS players could be the ones who coordinate the attacks though. People that are good at RTS games without knowing all the secrets. I am no good at them. I like them. Just no good at them. You just tell me what to shoot at, and it'll happen.;)
 
The problem with games based on real world problems is that the solution must also be incorporated into the game in order to win. Still, that doesn't negate the fact that gamers in general are good problem solvers so do have potential to solve world issues but as she pointed out the real world is boring compared to game worlds so getting a gamer to want to switch from virtual worlds to the real world is a challenge.
 
Ok, so the new game (at the end of the speech) is supported by the world bank... Hahaha, yeah, ok. This is nothing more than a means to condition people... The real speech should have went like this....

"People spend 10,000 hrs playing video games... This equates to a 2nd schooling... Lets double our social engineering/conditioning efforts by developing 1 sided/bias video games. These games will deal with fabricated emergencies and climate change. The in-game currency will be carbon credits.

Fin"

F@!KA YUUUU WHrrRALLLEEE!!! F@!KA YUUU DOOOPHHHINNN!!!
 
And by the way, what is with [H] posting all this BS as of late... Mainly dealing with climate change, toilet paper (supposed deforestation) use and other liberal hack jobs? Has anyone else noticed this, or is it just me??
 
K, so I was looking at her superstruct game... Here's a snippet from their continuing plot (This is part of their solution to disease I guess)....

"The future's changing us faster than we're changing the future. … In response to the World Health Organization’s suggested limits on gatherings of more than twelve people, Assembly12 is leading other superstructures in creating voluntary systems for crowd reduction. And the New Modesty is coming into fashion, thanks in part to the superstructure of the same name. Covered heads, covered hands, covered faces ... all can save lives. But fashion is one thing and violence is another. As the Administrator for Zone M17 reports, Taliban-like attacks are taking place in the street on men and women (mostly women) who are not "modestly" dressed…."

So... Their solution is to ban gatherings of more than 12 people and to dress everyone in a Burka. Yeah, this sounds like a game I want to play.
 
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