Reality is Broken

1. Games are not just entertainment; they fulfill genuine human needs

Games are providing rewards that reality is not. They are teaching and inspiring and engaging us in ways that reality is not. They are bringing us together in ways that reality is not.

Games fill voids. In today's society, computer and video games are fulfilling genuine human needs that the real world is currently unable to satisfy. They offer rewards, inspiration, and engagement that reality often lacks. Games provide a sense of purpose, achievement, and social connection that many people struggle to find in their everyday lives.

Beyond escapism. Rather than mere escapism, games offer a way to experience intense, optimistic engagement with the world around us. They activate our attention systems, reward centers, motivation systems, and emotion and memory centers, conditioning our minds and bodies to be happier. This explains why gamers spend less time watching television than anyone else on the planet.

Addressing modern challenges. Games are particularly effective at addressing modern challenges such as depression, helplessness, social alienation, and the sense that nothing we do truly matters. By providing clear goals, immediate feedback, and a sense of progress, games offer a structured environment where people can feel competent, autonomous, and connected.

2. Good games create satisfying work and foster social connections

We don't normally think of games as hard work. After all, we play games, and we've been taught to think of play as the very opposite of work. But nothing could be further from the truth.

Blissful productivity. Games excel at providing what psychologists call "flow" - a state of intense focus and satisfaction. This state is achieved through clear goals, actionable steps, and immediate feedback. Games like World of Warcraft demonstrate this by offering an endless stream of achievable goals and a sense of constant improvement.

Meaningful effort. Unlike much of real-world work, game work feels more productive because:

• Feedback is stronger and faster
• Impact is more visible and vivid
• Goals are clearer and more achievable
• Effort is self-chosen and intrinsically motivating

Social connections. Many games, especially massively multiplayer online games, foster strong social connections. They provide opportunities for collaboration, shared experiences, and the development of trust and mutual regard. This social aspect is a key factor in why games are so engaging and rewarding.

3. Games optimize human experience by providing intrinsic rewards

Games help us feel more rewarded for making our best effort.

Four key rewards. Games are particularly effective at providing four types of intrinsic rewards that contribute to happiness and well-being:

1. Satisfying work
2. The experience or hope of success
3. Social connection
4. Meaning or the chance to be part of something larger than ourselves

Immediate gratification. Unlike many real-world activities, games provide immediate and tangible rewards for effort. This instant feedback loop helps maintain motivation and engagement, even when faced with challenges or setbacks.

Sustainable engagement. By focusing on intrinsic rewards rather than extrinsic ones (like money or prizes), games create a more sustainable form of engagement. Players are motivated by the experience itself, not by external incentives that can lose their appeal over time.

4. Alternate reality games can improve our everyday lives

Alternate realities are the antiescapist game.

Bridging virtual and real. Alternate reality games (ARGs) blend game mechanics with real-world activities, creating opportunities to improve our daily lives. These games are designed to make it easier to generate intrinsic rewards in situations where we can't or don't want to be in a virtual environment.

Real-world applications. Examples of ARGs improving everyday life include:

• Chore Wars: Gamifying household chores
• Quest to Learn: Reimagining education as a game
• SuperBetter: Turning recovery from illness or injury into a multiplayer experience

Increased participation. ARGs motivate us to participate more fully in whatever we're doing by adding game-like elements such as clear goals, feedback systems, and social components. This increased engagement can lead to better outcomes in areas like education, health, and personal productivity.

5. Gamification can make difficult activities more rewarding

Games eliminate our fear of failure and improve our chances for success.

Overcoming challenges. By framing difficult tasks as game-like challenges, we can reduce anxiety and increase motivation. This approach can be particularly effective for activities that people typically find stressful or boring.

Examples of gamification:

• Nike+: Turning running into a social, goal-oriented game
• Foldit: Making protein folding into a puzzle game for scientific research
• Jetset and Day in the Cloud: Improving the air travel experience through games

Positive failure feedback. Games often make failure fun and instructive, encouraging players to try again and improve. This approach can be applied to real-world situations to foster resilience and perseverance.

6. Games have the power to create meaningful social connections

Games build stronger social bonds and lead to more active social networks.

Building communities. Games, especially multiplayer online games, create strong communities by providing shared goals, experiences, and challenges. These communities can extend beyond the game, fostering real-world connections and support networks.

Prosocial emotions. Games can evoke prosocial emotions such as love, compassion, admiration, and devotion. These emotions help create lasting social bonds and contribute to overall well-being.

Examples of social games:

• Lexulous: Connecting friends and family through word play
• FarmVille: Creating daily opportunities for social interaction
• The Comfort of Strangers: Fostering connections between strangers in urban environments

7. Massively multiplayer games can solve real-world problems

Gamers are ready and willing to take on challenges outside of strictly virtual environments.

Harnessing collective intelligence. Massively multiplayer games can mobilize large numbers of people to tackle complex real-world problems. By framing these challenges as game-like missions, we can engage people's problem-solving skills and creativity on a massive scale.

Examples of problem-solving games:

• Folding@home: Using distributed computing to solve protein folding problems
• Investigate Your MP's Expenses: Crowdsourcing the investigation of political scandals
• World Without Oil: Simulating and preparing for a global oil crisis

Developing collaboration skills. These games help players develop valuable collaboration skills that can be applied to real-world challenges. The more time people spend playing collaborative games, the better equipped they become to tackle complex problems in reality.

8. Games can help us imagine and shape a better future

The best way to change the future is to play with it first.

Forecasting through play. Games like World Without Oil and Superstruct allow players to imagine and experiment with potential futures. This process helps develop foresight and prepares people to tackle real-world challenges.

Developing future-making skills. Through these games, players can:

• Practice long-term thinking
• Develop ecosystems thinking
• Experiment with multiple strategies for solving complex problems

Creating super-empowered hopeful individuals. By engaging in these future-focused games, players become more optimistic about their ability to impact the world positively. This mindset is crucial for driving real-world change and innovation.

9. The engagement economy: Harnessing collective intelligence through games

Games are a perfect tool for harnessing the wisdom of crowds.

Sustainable engagement. Games provide a sustainable model for engaging large numbers of people in collective efforts. Unlike monetary rewards, which can be limited, games offer intrinsic rewards that are infinitely renewable.

Crowdsourcing through play. Games can be designed to harness collective intelligence and problem-solving abilities on a massive scale. This approach has been successful in fields such as scientific research, journalism, and social innovation.

Key elements of successful engagement games:

• Clear goals and actionable steps
• Immediate feedback and visible progress
• Social connection and collaboration opportunities
• Meaningful context for individual contributions

10. Games as a platform for social innovation and world-changing

We can play any games we want. We can create any future we can imagine.

Games for good. Increasingly, games are being designed not just for entertainment, but as platforms for social innovation and world-changing efforts. These games aim to harness the problem-solving skills and engagement of players to address real-world challenges.

Examples of world-changing games:

• EVOKE: A game designed to empower young people to tackle global challenges
• The Long Game: A proposed thousand-year game to foster long-term thinking and global cooperation

Future potential. As game design continues to evolve, we can expect to see more games that:

• Address urgent global challenges
• Foster collaboration across diverse populations
• Develop critical future-making skills
• Inspire and empower individuals to make a difference in the real world

By harnessing the power of games, we have the potential to create a more engaged, collaborative, and resilient global society, better equipped to face the challenges of the future.

Last updated: January 23, 2025