McGonigal and her Games

"In fact, as Brian Sutton-Smith, a leading psychologist of play, once said, 'The opposite of play isn't work. It's depression.'" (McGonigal, Pg 28, 2011)

Many gamers and none gamers out there probably would not have known that work in fact is not the opposite to play. The majority of gamers out there believe that when they leave their work and come home and play their video games that this is an escape from what they believe is the enemy, work. This however from reading McGonigal's text is not the case, in fact we as gamers are actually looking for harder work out of a video game, work that challenges our brains and puts us to our maximum potentials to complete task that keep us active. We as gamers are not trying to escape work, we are trying to escape the boredom of tasks that are too easy and that can lead us into depression where as video games give us harder and more entertaining challenges that allow our brains to expand more and be free from boredom. This information is useful to gamers as they are slated fro being lazy just because they enjoy challenging gaming experiences over the boredom of tasks set out for them that do not stimulate their brains enough. (McGonigal, Pg 28, 2011)

"When you strip away the genre differences and technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system and voluntary participation." (McGonigal, Pg 21, 2011)

From this quote McGonigal is trying to tell us that not all different types of games are that different after all. For example this may sound a bit far fetched but we could compare the video game Call Of Duty and its Search and Destroy mode to a game of golf. In the Search and Destroy mode the goal is to find the enemies bomb and blow it up, the rules are simple, each player has one life and only one player can carry the bomb at once, in the feedback system it tells us how many players are left and how long we have left on the time limit. Golf has got all these defining traits, the goal is to get a ball in a hole, the rules are that you must stand so far back and hit the ball with golf clubs and the feedback system is seeing how many shots it takes to get the ball in the hole. With this quote and text McGonigal could change the way people view games altogether.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

J.McGonigal, Reality Is Broken, The Penguin Press, 2011

Infinity Ward, 2003-2013, Call of Duty, Video Games, Activision.

Gameness of Games

Video games, board games, card games, roll-playing games, play-ground games and so on. There are countless numbers of games to be played and a large variety of consoles and devices to be played on. Bernard Suits states, 'Playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles!' (McGonigal, 2011, P.22) When we play games we are coming to do voluntary hard work, work we enjoy doing, unlike work in real-life.

There are four defining traits of games; a goal, rules, a feedback system and voluntary participation. The ability to win is not a necessary trait of games. (McGonigal, 2011) Tetris, one of the most popular computer games of all time is the perfect example of a game in which you cannot win. If you play tetris you are always guaranteed to loose, so why it is so addictive? Many gamers do not wish to win the games they play, 'in high feedback games, such as Tetris, 'the value of being intensely engaged may ultimately be more pleasurable than even the satisfaction of winning.' (McGonigal, 2011, P.25) Gamers would rather work at playing a game rather than be entertained. This is why gamers spend less time watching television and more time playing games. (McGonigal, 2011)

'There are two different kinds of games: finite games, which we play to win, and infinite games, which we play in order to keep playing as long as possible.' (McGonigal, 2011, P.25) 'Jack-Change-It' is an example of a finite card game, once a player has gotten rid of all their cards they are the winner and the game is over. 'The Sims' is an example of an infinite computer game, the game has no end so the player keeps on playing because they enjoy the game.

Games have the ability to make us feel happier. 'A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we're good at and enjoy.' (McGonigal, 2011, P.28) Games today are addictive and mood-boosting, which make them extremely popular. We feel more satisfaction with ourselves from doing hard work in games than doing work in real life.

Finally, 'the most primal emotional rush we can experience is called 'fiero." (McGonigal, 2011, P. 33) The Italian word for 'Pride', fiero is the emotion we feel after we triumph. It is extremely powerful in producing motivation for hard work. The bigger and harder the obstacle is to overcome, the more powerful and intense the fiero. (McGonigal, 2011) 

Bibliography
McGonigal, J., (2011), 'Reality is Broken, Why games make us better and how they can change the world, Penguin Press HC

McGonigal: Gameness of games

McGonigal states that we have taken games into our culture and use it in our language.  She mentions that we use the words 'game' and 'player' in our everyday language. Other terms such as "Don't play games with me" and  "This isn't a game" are all things that I along with friend, family and other people that share in the same culture as me have used. (McGonigal 2011, pg: 19 & 20)  "This admonishment implies that games encourage and train people to act in ways that aren’t appropriate for real life." I think that McGonigal is making a valid point here, when we think about it we are actually aware of what we may become due to playing games. Even though these metaphors so not 'reflect' what it means to play a well-designed game, they are just reminders of our 'worst fears' about games. (McGonigal 2011, pg 20)


Gaming is becoming more and more popular year on year. "Games today come in more forms, platforms, and genres than at any other time in human history." (McGonigal 2011, pg: 20) There are many forms of games and gaming platforms in the 21^st century. There are many forms of gaming around like video games, board games, internet games, arcade games and much more, too much to mention really. This just shows the sheer size of the market for gaming. A game invites the ‘gamer’ to come up against needless hurdles which involve hard work and optimistic engagement. McGonigal believes there are four defining traits of games. They are the goal, the rules, feedback system and voluntary participation. (McGonigal 2011, pg: 21)

McGonigal points out to us that ‘winning’ and ‘competition’ are features which enhance the gaming experience. However, they are not considered as defining traits of gaming. The defining traits are broken down;

The Goal: The end achievement, the purpose of starting the game there must be a triumph

The Rules: The restrictions that the gamer must obey to get to ‘The Goal’

Feedback system:  A personal/unique reflection of the gamers performance which include levels and scores, unlocked items etc.

Voluntary participation: The gamers ability to follow the above traits in order to play the game correctly

Games have lots of benefits like being a form of physiotherapy, improve hand-eye co-ordination, induce decision making, team building and communicating, enhance creativity and can teach you problem solving, motivation and cognitive skills. I agree with gaming for all the above benefits but not all is so positive. Gaming can encourage violence, crime, alcohol and drug misuse as well as that it can effect academic studies and can even lead to addiction.

 

 

The Gameness of Games..

McGonigal firstly talks about what a game is and how they can be attached to certain types of behaviours, such as 'players' and there ability to manipulate others into getting what they want. (McGonigal,2001,PG.20)

I also understand that the word 'game' can used in other references completely unrelated to video games. Such as people using certain metaphors such as 'Don't play games with me'. although these metaphors are widely used everyday, the fact that they are unrelated to actual gaming activity raises the suspicious that a lot more people know and accept gaming as more widely used within society.

'Games these days come in more forms, platforms and genres than in any other time in human history' (McGonigal,2001,PG.20)

This statement is true, simply for the fact that gaming and the ability that game designers have nowadays is unbelievably more advanced than at any other time and they will only continue to become more advanced with better traits such as graphics and online game play. Also for the fact that we can play games on so many different platforms which gives us almost 100% of the time access to gaming. For example, gaming in the house would be easily done on the XBOX, PS3, laptops and personal computers. And gaming on the 'go' can happen on iPads and mobile phones. All this ability and connectivity to games gives it a huge advantage to prospective game designers and software companies. 

Games share four defining traits which are Goals, rules, feedback system and voluntary participation.(McGonigal,2001,PG.21). Goals which the player hopes to achieve, rules which place limitations on how the achieve that goal. A Feedback system which tells players how close they are and voluntary participation which need the participation of all players regarding the first three traits. 

McGonigal states that when we are playing a good game, we are placing ourselves at the positive side of the emotional spectrum. (PG.28). I think this is very important when it comes to gaming, as we all have things that play 'games' with our emotions and the fact that games developers can make something as to affect your very emotion with simple touches of a button is something to be amazed at. 

Bibliography - Reality is Broken, Jane McGonigal, 2011 - The Penguin Press

Defining 'Game'

 

Although the majority of us have played or participated in numerous different games, not many of us consider the actual definition of the word 'Game'.

According to McGonigal, "Games come in more forms, platforms, and genres than at any other time in human history" (McGonigal: 2011: pg.20). Whether it is a card game, online game, board game or a games console, it is still a game, but the only thing making it different is the format which we play the game in. In this day and age, you can play board games such as monopoly and the popular card game 'Uno' online.

McGonigal argues that "all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system and voluntary participation" (McGonigal: 2011: pg.21) each trait system has a function.

1. Goal: gives a "sense of purpose" to the player
2. Rules: "place limitations" on the way the player can accomplish his goal, making the game more challenging
3. Feedback system: indicates to the player "how close they are" to finally achieving their goal
4. Voluntary participation: where "everyone accepts the goal, the rules and the feedback" (McGonigal: 2011: pg. 21)

According to McGonigal, regardless to the format of the game, it must share those four traits in any way for it to be a game. Bernard Suits, a great philosopher, according to McGonigal provides the best concluded definition of a game, "playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles" (McGonigal: 2011: pg. 22)

 

"Many gamers would rather keep playing than win" (McGonigal: 2011: pg. 25)

 

In her book, McGonigal refers to several examples of games which support her theory amongst which was the 'addictive' game Tetris, which "awaits for you to fail" and one is "gauranteed to lose" but we continure playing the game because as we lose, we "feel the urge to climb back on" (McGonigal: 2011: pg. 24), attempting to beat our high score.

 

Another example that would support her theory is the Candy Crush Saga which became increasingly popular over the past 2 years, where there are different goals for each level and you are given tasks which become increasingly challenging as you go through the levels, and the moves you are allowed become limited, where in some cases causes the player to lose the level and becomes addictive in the sense that one feels the urge to pass the level and the next and so on.

 

References:

 

McGonigal, J. 2011 'Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World' ,The Penguin Press

Reality is Broken But Games Are Fun!

"Games today come in more forms, platforms and genres than at any other time in the human race." (McGonigal; 2011, pg. 20)

With this quote McGonigal simply states that in today's world there is many many forms of games available to the population, these range from Board games, Card games, Puzzle games, Quiz games, Computer games and Console games. She goes onto tell us that even though there is all these kinds of games out there they all share the same attributes that essentially make them games.

"When you strip away the genre differences and technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system and voluntary participation." (McGonigal; 2011 pg. 21)

These four defining traits are what make games what they are, each one of these traits add another level of structure to a game and each one makes them entertaining for the participant. Each trait has its own purpose for a game.

The first trait the Goal is what any participant strives to achieve when they first start to play whichever game they tackle. With the Goal it gives every gamer a purpose to play.

The second trait Rules, this trait is what binds the participant to what the restraints of the game and also gives it a purpose otherwise there would be no challenge for the gamer.

The third trait Feedback System, this is the trait tells the participant how they are doing in the game and how close they are to their main objective. It comes in forms of levels, scores and progress bars.

The final trait is Voluntary Participation, the last trait is the one that combines the first three traits, this one is accepted by every player who starts the game as they agree to abide by the first three.

"A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism  at something were good at and enjoy" (McGonigal; 2011 pg. 28)

McGonigal goes on to talk about the effects that games have on people outside of the gaming world. She believes that taking all the benefits that video games give to the participants and utilizing them in the real world would make the human race is some way thrive as everyone would be testing their limits daily and enjoying what they do.

Bibliography: 

McGonigal. J (2011) - Reality is Broken