Jane McGonigal on Because Games Matter
What are some of the powers and benefits that games can have in our lives? In Extra Credits' "Because Games Matter", Game designer and researcher Jane McGonigal describes how she used her traumatic experience with Post Concussion Syndrome to create games to help herself and other people also sufering.
From the episode:
I knew from my years of research that when we play games, we tackle tough challenges with more creativity, more determination, more optimism, and we're more likely to reach out to others for help. I wanted to bring these gamer traits to my real life challenge. So, I created a simple role-playing recovery game called "Jane the Concussion Slayer". The game was that simple: adopt a secret identity, recruit allies, battle the bad guys, and activate powerups. Despite its simplicity, within just a couple days of starting to play, that fog of depression and anxiety just vanished.
Check out the entire video here!