Inspiring World-

Changing Creativity

with Games

Jane McGonigal, PhDDirector of Game Research & Development

Institute for the FutureOctober 21, 2010

Game designer nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by

2023

Do games bring

out the best in us?

Are games a

gateway to real-

life goals?

Do games change

who we think we

really are?

Are games

protecting us from

real harm?

Can games give us

real-life

superpowers?

YES.• Games do bring out the best in us.• Games are a gateway to real-life

goals.• Games do change who we think we

really are.• Games are protecting us from real

harm.• Games can give us actual

superpowers.

U nn e c e s s a ry o b s t a c l e s

:a re o u r “o n ” b u t t o n

• High interest and motivation• Focus on a clear goal, sense of purpose• Optimism and curiosity about the

outcome• Willingness to try something new• Social connectivity, shared experience• Stronger sense of self-efficacy• A personal story that matters

Gameplay is the

opposite of

depression.

Can we get an epic

win for social good?

Show EVOKE trailer

www.urgentevoke.com

In 10 weeks, we enrolled 19,893 students in >130 countries

Game designer nominated for Nobel Peace Prize by

2023

Games give us something to do when

there is nothing to do. We thus call games ‘pastimes’ and regard them as trifling fillers of the interstices of our lives. But they are much more important than that. They are clues to the future. And their serious cultivation now is perhaps our only salvation.

—Bernard Suits, philosopher  

worldchangin

g

worldchangin

g

slides@ avantgame.com@ avantgame

www.gameful.org