1: Ready for an interesting fact about games?

When we play them, we almost never feel hopeless.

“It’s true,” Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

“Psychologists have studied the top emotions during game play, and genuine anxiety and pessimism are extremely rare,” Jane notes. “Even when we’re losing or struggling, we’re vastly more likely to feel determined and optimistic than panicked or powerless.”… continue reading

1: “Who wouldn’t want to lead a life truer to their dreams and free of regret?” Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

Yesterday, we explored how people can become stronger and happier after trauma, a process scientists call “post-traumatic growth.”

And yet, Jane notes, “I’m pretty sure no one would ever choose to suffer a terrible loss, an injury, an … continue reading

How does creating a game help someone recover from a brain injury?

1: “How could a game so seemingly trivial, so admittedly simple, intervene so powerfully in such serious, in some cases life-and-death, circumstances?” Jane McGonigal writes in her book SuperBetter: The Power of Living Gamefully.

Following her 2009 concussion, Jane was at her lowest point, plagued by suicidal thoughts.

Then, suddenly, she had a thought: What if … continue reading