Changing the world? Epic!
August 16, 2011TED Talks “Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world” (found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE1DuBesGYM) brings the idea that the efforts and results of gaming are not necessarily a waste of time but can be positive – for the world. McConigal says the things games inspire in gamers are (1) Urgent Optimism (their motivation), (2) Social Fabric (working together), (3) Blissful Productivity (enjoying working hard toward a goal), and (4) Epic Meaning (a worthwhile, perhaps “larger than life” goal).
The collaborative, problem-solving approach to games is the skill focused on. And making the investment in time toward a more applicable problem instead of some virtual world or reality would be the key. She has created a couple games that start down this path: (http://www.worldwithoutoil.org/) and (http://archive.superstructgame.net/). Quite interesting, and good models for future work.
I like the approach and goal of this thinking. I know the world could be better with the effort she suggests – one hour a day from 21 million people. Wow!
How do we start? We educators can continue to push toward the awareness of working for goals ‘beyond ourselves’ and the need to give to or provide for others. And we can keep trying to produce educational games, quests, lessons, etc. toward those ends – and as McGonigal suggests, making them epic! As for the “non-educators” they need to see that making money is not the epic end, but sometimes using their resources to help better the world or society is also necessary – and probably epic!
