Reality Bites

I had so many thoughts while reading Reality Is Broken that didn't fit into my paper. Hopefully this doesn't get too long and stream-of-consciousness-y:

1. The idea of being "in the flow" is so real. My husband likes role playing video games because they allow him to develop a character and his own world. He played Skyrim for months before eventually burning out on it. When he was playing, though, he was often in the flow of finding side quests and exploring to keep the game play continuing. Part of the reason he did stop playing regularly, though, is that he eventually got so good at the game, it lost its challenge. It becomes boring then. McGonigal also recognizes this as a reason why games need to be well-designed to encourage gamers to play for as long as possible (68).

2. When McGonigal suggested the "gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression,” I began to wonder if this is why so many people with depression turn to video games (28). This may be a matter of the chicken versus the egg. However, if the claim that video games evoke a high that is the opposite of depression, it would make sense that people with depression would want to spend hours gaming.

3. On page 30 McGonigal claims that busy work when chosen makes us happy. It keeps “hands and minds occupied with focused activity that produces a clear result.” Definitely true! When I was in grad school in my mid-20s and didn't have kids, I had way more free time (wahhhhh...). On an interminable train trip between Buffalo and Boston, a fellow passenger introduced me to Penguin Diner, a game where you play a penguin waitress who has to serve all these tables of penguin guests. There was no way to save the game, so you had to play the whole thing in one go. There was really no great aim of the game other than to keep your penguin guests happy. It was complete busywork. However, I enjoyed the game and ended up spending probably an entire day playing the game from start to finish. I am sure I had other things to do, but I was having such a good time serving fish to those penguins that I wasn't about to stop. I don't see a huge difference between this and the nonstop games of solitaire my grandmother used to play. Different medium, same time occupying busywork that we enjoyed.

4. I appreciate McGonigal's take on what we think should be fun v. what actually is fun. She claims that what we think is fun is actually a little depressing - and, really, who hasn't had that thought on a night out? Or after spending a couple hours watching TV? It sounded like fun at the time but then we go from wanting something to relax to just being bored. Playing games is a much better way of dealing with stress and anxiety than just watching TV. That has been my experience with anxiety, at least. If I'm just watching YouTube, I can still focus on my anxiety in the background. If I'm playing a game that actively uses my brain, I am more able to tune out my anxiety.

5. McGonigal did seem a little too into video games, if you ask me. When on page 41 she suggested that flow can now be achieved without all the practice that more traditional forms like rock climbing would require, I thought to myself, "But is that a good thing?" It's nice to be able to have that instant euphoria, I suppose, but there is something to be said for working hard for hours and hours to achieve that high. Similarly, the idea that world building games are so satisfying because you see the immediate effect of your work on the world around you seems short-sighted (McGonigal 59). If you get used to immediate satisfaction, you might get so frustrated with the real world that you are unable to finish projects. After college I worked as a community organizer, which can be incredibly frustrating because you don't always see the fruit of your labor. You often work, hoping that someday what you have worked for is realized. If I was used to playing video games with immediate results, would I have stuck with social justice work?

6. I like the idea that gaming is working with your hands, even if it's just a controller. Most people in cities don't have access to a workshop or any other practical way of using our hands. Being able to build in a video game is a way to address that need. I have a friend who decided she wanted to learn to sew, but because she didn't know anyone who could teach her, she had to find a fabric shop with a workshop that offered classes, where she did eventually find a community of other people also interested in learning how to sew. There are ways to join communities of like-minded individuals, but for those who don't want to go out and find them, video games might be an easier way to achieve that.

7. I know the feeling McGonigal feels of playing a game and wanting to return to it even when you're not playing (61). Generally I get that feeling from a good book, but I can imagine that it is the same for gaming. When I think of it in a gaming sense, I wonder, "Is that a sign of addiction?" But when I think of it in terms of reading, I don't. That could be a sign of that anti-gaming bias that McGonigal says exists.

8. I thought McGognigal's idea of giving +1s in real life was very cute (148). I immediately wondered if there is a way to do that in schools. I mean, they do it at Hogwarts, so why not at Muggle schools? It sounded complicated, though, as it would take real investment to come up with a fast system to record those unlocked achievements.

Overall I enjoyed Reality Is Broken. I did think it went a little off the rails in the third section, but maybe I'm just not ~thinking big enough~. I would be interested to read SuperBetter. I've heard good things about the related app.