Reality Is Broken

Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World

By: Jane McGonigal

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 13 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

In today’s society, games are fulfilling real human needs in ways that reality is not. Hundreds of millions of people globally — 174 million in the United States alone — regularly inhabit game worlds because they provide the rewards, stimulating challenges, and epic victories that are so often lacking in the real world. Instead of futile handwringing about this exodus from reality, world-renowned game designer Jane McGonigal argues that we need to figure out how to make the real world—our homes, our businesses and our communities—engage us in the way that games do.

Drawing on positive psychology and cognitive science, McGonigal reveals how game designers have hit on core truths about what makes us happy, from social connection to having satisfying work to do. Game designers intuitively understand how to optimize human experience. Reality is Broken shows that games can teach us essential lessons about mass collaboration, creating emotional incentives, and increasing engagement that will be relevant to everyone.

©2011 Jane McGonigal (P)2011 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Great read

I have a completely different outlook on gaming now. I bought this to find reasons to get my kids off games but since finishing the book, I learned to embrace the technology and the good it will bring to the world.

Starts off great...

So I really enjoyed the first few chapters, maybe the first half of the book. After that though, the author begins going in depth about and fawning over several games that she had worked on or had major influence over. Based on the way she describes them, apparently everything she worked on was an unbridled success, that is exactly what we need more of and, of course, will fix our broken reality. I don't recall any mentions of failures, challenges or lessons learned.

Now this isn't to say that games of the styles she had mentioned or created are not a good thing, but the way she presents them leaves you feeling like you're being sold on a timeshare.

Starry-eyed but inspiring

Being a developer of games and simulation/training software, myself, I think that this book delves into an important question: why do we play games? After all, when one thinks about it, most games are simply work, a series of repetitive tasks. What makes them *fun*? And why doesn’t work we do in real life engage us in the same way? Why do people enjoy doing chores in The Sims and Farmville, but hate doing their actual dishes and laundry? Why are X-Box first person shooter matches so popular with soldiers in Afghanistan, who presumably get enough of the real deal?

If you can mentally compensate for the author’s extremely starry-eyed view of gaming and gamers, she does raise some interesting points. There’s no question that games tap into our neurochemical wiring, stimulating our brains' reward systems with bite-sized challenges and constant feedback. We enjoy the competition and freedom of experimentation that games offer. Playing them also has more meaningful benefits, such as building self-confidence, providing healthy escape from stress, allowing us to explore and experiment, fostering community and connection, even creating a feeling of connection to something bigger.

This leads to the book's central questions: how can we apply what works in games to make aspects of the real world more engaging? How can we use game-like systems to solve problems that really matter? Would we have more fun with reality if it was more benignly competitive, more open to experimentation, more full of positive feedback for doing the right thing? If you weren't familiar with buzzy terms like "augmented reality" or "massively single-player", you will be.

While McGonigal probably won’t sell you on the notion that games can solve humanity’s problems, her anecdotes about successful projects make a convincing case for their future potential. Yes, many of the cutesy social apps she described, such as the one that rewards users with virtual prizes for jogging, seem a little inconsequential, but the point is the *possibility* they imply. If we're using smart phones to manage our lives anyway, why not make the experience fun? I was fascinated by the use of crowd-sourcing to unravel a British political scandal (with astonishingly effective results) and McGonigal's assessment of wikipedia in gaming terms. The World Without Oil game and some similar experiments show a potential role for gamelike collaborative systems in addressing widespread political disconnect.

The author also provides a sense of the sheer energy, enthusiasm, and range of interests of gamers themselves. Let’s face it, if hundreds of millions of people across the Earth are using computers and playing games every day, this represents a huge mindshare that might be tapped. Sure, not all of their skills translate to real-world problems, but many do. As I’ve seen in my own line of work, part of the reason that game-based military simulations are so effective is because they leverage an already-existing base of skills found among most young people who join the US military (and I don’t mean shooting stuff, but navigating virtual environments).

McGonigal’s unbridled excitement may not speak to every reader, but I think that most who have had a more-than-casual experience with gaming will understand where it's coming from. Even if you decide not to read the book, I recommend googling some of the author’s talks and projects.

Games Really CAN Change the World for the Better!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This book challenged my prejudice about games and gamers. After the first chapter, I became so intrigued with the author, that I sought out her TED talk and other videos. She's intuitive and innovative. Reading this book is like spending time with your smartest girlfriend. It will open your mind to new possibilities.

What other book might you compare Reality Is Broken to and why?

"Reality is Broken" reminded me a bit of "Whack on the Side of the Head" by Roger VonOech. They both view conventional wisdom through seldom-used lenses, and reveal valuable conclusions.

What about Julia Whelan’s performance did you like?

Julia Whelan's narration is well-suited to this book. She expressed the author's intent with authority and passion, and her vocal age and pace are just right for the material.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

"Epic Wins For Everyone!"

A book of two halves

Any additional comments?

The book has two goals.

The first it to persuade us that games can be a force for good- I agree wholeheartedly and enjoyed this part of the book, and the arguments laid out by the author were compelling and inspirational

The second was to illustrate some examples of where games are making the world better (and how they might be even more significant in the future) - Suddenly the compelling examples seemed to fade away, and the author mostly seemed to settle back into talking about her own "games" to cure climate change and engage people in the Olympic games. I felt her reliance on these examples left me with a feeling of someone tooting their own horn, as well as leaving me feeling underwhelmed. The games described seemed banal or maybe even comical rather than exciting catalysts of profound change as implied in the first half of the book

Overall I thought it was interesting, but didn't fuel conversations with my friends like some other futurist non-fiction titles.

amazing

it was amazing to listen to the narrator was also good it made me think harde than u usualy have to
truly amazing

First part is good

The first 1/3 of the book is really good. Has pretty good insight into the psychology of game design and why games are more engaging than real life. The rest of the book fell flat. Worth ready though.

Great overview of the benefits of games

Even over a decade after release, still relevant and interesting, even though at this point it's missing the past several years of game development, which unfortunately has taken a heavy and damaging turn toward "gamified" apps and social media. I wonder what the author currently thinks about it.

Great listen for the modern would be game designer

This book does a great job of taking a look at game design- from traditional games to MMORPG's to alternative reality games- for the interested computer scientist. I think anyone who regularly teaches would also appreciate this book. Fantastic job, it's already inspired me with various ideas on math games for kids. The only thing I would like for books like this are some cliff notes to help me remember what I've listened to.

Great concepts and information

The concepts and information available in this book are inspiring. They bring a great perspective to gaming and the futere. Excellent read