According to McGonigal the concept of a game can be defined by four core elements; The goal, the rules, the feeback system and finally the voluntary participation. The gaming industry is set to grow to a total valuation of $83 billion by 2016
, making it one of the most lucrative industries in the world. So why is it such a popular industry when, as Bernard Suits states, a game is fundamentally “the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles”. (Bernard Suits, p55, 2005)
McGonigal further questions our romance with games; “Why do unnecessary obstacles make us happy?” (McGonigal, p27). The short answer is humans love hard work, especially hard work chose for ourselves. Immersing ourselves into a game creates all types of positive emotional response. The journey towards the “goal” is an exhilarating rush of interactivity, focusing our energy that we are working hard at to succeed whilst getting both better and positive reinforcement, we actively shift towards the positive side of the emotional spectrum. As McGonigal states “gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression.” (McGonigal, p28). The most successful games evoke a strong engagement of optimism, we are activating all the neurological and physiological factors that make us happy, “We are actively conditioning our minds and bodies to be happier.” (McGonigal, p28)
You may consider not many like hard work in reality, but this is often work we have to do. It usually has negative emotional responses, and does not evoke the “fiero” that voluntary hard work does, or as McGonigal puts it “the craving for challenges that we can overcome, the battles we can win and dangers we can vanquish.” (McGonigal, p33)
Games have the ability to inspire numerous amounts of people. Humans would rather work hard than relax or chill-out, as Tal Ben-Shahr put it, “We’re much happier enlivening time rather than killing time.” (McGonigal, p33) In short games can inspire people to work harder. “If we actively surround ourselves with people playing the same game that we are, then we can stop being so wary of “players” playing their own game.” (McGonigal, p34)
Bibliography
McGonigal, J., (2011). Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, Penguin Press HC, (P.19-34)
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This is a class blog for students enrolled on the History and Analysis of New Media Module at The University of Ulster. Please keep comments constructive to help students progress with the given text