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hweinstein's picture

changing the world

This is something I have been thinking a lot about.  It does seem that games are trapped in a virtual world, so how can they possibly change anything out here?  If people are so wrapped up in their second lives, how will they ever engage in their first?  In the book, she talks about how games make the player feel good by giving clear objectives, steps, and rewards.  These motivators are the reasons, she says, that gamers will devote so much time and effort into the games they play.  These things that games give us, however, we can give ourselves.  If I were to take the time, I could lay out objectives, steps and rewards for anything I do in my life.  Maybe McGonigal has shown us the ultimate key to productivity.  If we learn how to motivate ourselves (in school?) the way that game programmers already hove figured out how to motivate us, maybe we can change the world!  I think that so many people have the capacity to make real change, but are too emotionally daunted by the task.  I think they (perhaps myself included) lack the motivation tools that video games have.  Why do you think people don't harness their own capacities to change the world?

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