7/28 Jane McGonagal
- TF – as adults, we often lose track of play.
- Researches and designs games to improve life.
- When playing sports, games, etc, you develop a “gameful mindset” – where you are one determined, adaptable, resourceful. How do you activate that in everyday life?
- It’s not always about gamifying life, but playing games to trigger those behaviors, then activating that in real life.
- It’s not about playing games, but adopting a process for being gameful in everyday life:
- Adopt an avatar for real life. What are it’s skills, how can I level up those skills? What are the special moves and secret weapons? Focus on the strengths and skill sets. “I’m Jane the concussion slayer.”
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- Talking and thinking about yourself in third person helps disassociate from anxiety, depression, etc.
- Just start using it on your inner circle to start.
- Identify items or activities that give you power ups
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- Having a goal and working towards it is the fastest way to get dopamine cycling through your brain. Gaming does this.
- Don’t try to get rid of all negative emotions. That’s impossible. Just balance a negative one with a positive one. Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.
- Occupying the visual processes’ of the brain helps fight cravings significant. For example, games like Tetris, candy crush, etc, when you close your eyes and still see the game, take over the visual process where you would see the craving.
- Remission game for cancer patients. Two hours of game play in a single session drives patients to take their medicine 60% more consistently for months.
- Games as therapy have almost no clinical side effects or opportunity cost. Can be done along side any other treatments.
- Tetris – prevent ptsd. Play tetris within six hours of witnessing traumatic scene, it prevents future flashbacks and lowers future ptsd. Prevents your brain from obsessing what you saw. Theory that this may work for years.
- Call of Duty – if you play in same space with people, improves relationships. Breathing and heart rate, body language will start to synchronize.
- Games are voluntary suffering. You play by hard rules, with the odds against you. This unleashes creativity, optimism, curiosity.
- The challenges of gaming can trigger post traumatic growth without the requisite trauma.
- There is speculation that certain grandiose games trigger spiritual benefits that lacking in a growing secular world.
- There is a difference between the benefits of a gameful life, and gaming addiction:
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- Over 21 hours a week is addiction and stretches negatively into your life.
- People who use games primarily as an escape from real life will also get negative consequences.
- Gaming for ten minutes a day, or twenty minutes every other day has been clinically shown to have a powerful impact on depression, anxiety and social interaction.
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- Play games that your friends are playing. Helps boost bonding through microconversations.
- Mine craft is a good resilience building game.
- Single player puzzle and adventure games to boost positivity. ie. Portal.
- Board and other physical games help adapt this mindset.
- Books: Finite and infinite games. Suffering is optional.
- Documentaries: Gamers. King of Kong.
- Video games provide progressive overload over time. They get harder as you get better. Not unlike building muscle.
- Observing game play – if you know how to play the game, you activate neoneurons. You become a better player by watching. Your brain practices while you watch.
- Gaming especially Super Mario Bros helps inoculate against predictive anxiety (fear of an upcoming event) better than anti anxiety medication.
- Showmethescience.com – links to gaming studies.
- Her book: super better.