Jane McGonigal on Slaying Stress
BCNM alum Jane McGonigal was recently featured on the 3 Books podcast, where she discussed how she designs games to help people develop resilience and positive attitudes in the face of life's challenges. In the podcast, she also delved into how she studied computer and video games here at Berkeley, her ethos as a game designer, and the powerful capacities games have to change the world, among other topics. McGonigal received her PhD here at Cal in Theater & Performance Studies with a Designated Emphasis in New Media.
From the podcast:
What would you do if you jumped out of a desk chair and slammed your head directly into an open cupboard door which gave you a massive concussion that left you bedridden for months? Oh, and you were told “No reading, no writing, no video games, no work, no email, no running, no alcohol, and no caffeine.” Well, most of us would probably just lie there. I mean, what else could you do? Well, if you’re Jane McGonigal that’s not what you do. No! If you’re Jane McGonigal, what you do is design a game, in your concussion-riddled state, to help you get better.
To listen to the full episode, click here!