Game of Life?

It is undeniable that games take up a large amount of peoples's free time, whether it be video gaming or a simple game of cards. Using the four traits of games that Jane McGonigal discusses in Reality is Broken: Why Games Make us Better and How They Can Change the World we can see the appeal of it all. Using factors like a goal, rules, feedback system and voluntary participation only increases this appeal as "playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles" (Suits in McGonigal, p22, 2011) meaning that gaming has become more important and appealing than life itself.

McGonigal's idea is that games fulfill "our need for better hard work" (McGonigal, p29,2011) presenting the idea that everyday hard work simply isn't enough. Works like high stakes, physical and mental are some of the ways in which McGonigal describes different emotions we feel while playing certain types of games. One type of work, discovery, "help us feel confident, powerful and motivated" (McGonigal, p30, 2011) because we take pleasure in interacting with unfamiliar objects and spaces. This can be seen in games such as Professor Layton and the Curious Village "a glorified brain trainer" (IGN, date accessed 13th November 2013) which focuses on puzzle solving in various environments, gradually getting more difficult as the story develops. Another work may be that of teamwork, were satisfaction is taken in having a specific role within a team, like in the game Castle Crashers. Different games portray different sense of accomplishment, which, according to McGonigal, may be missing from our everyday lives, stressing the need to find them elsewhere.

If this kind of ideology is to continue, soon any emotional reaction will be based on gaming alone, as life seems to have been replaced by that of a more digital kind. Life is becoming a game, were we relay on them for any emotional reaction or we simply have the need to keep playing "the game" as "compared with games, reality is too easy" (McGonigal, p22, 2011)

Bibliography
McGonigal, J (2011) Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World, Penguin Press HC, (p19-34)
IGN (http://uk.ign.com/articles/2008/11/07/prof-layton-and-the-curious-village-uk-review?page=2, date accessed 13th November 2013)