Jane McGonigal believes that we can make the world a better place by playing games that are designed to help solve life’s big challenges. I first heard Jane speak two years ago, when we were both speakers at the inaugural Ignite LA. Last night I watched her TED talk (in beautiful HD thanks to Hulu Plus!). Her message is worth sharing.
A few interesting stats to consider before you watch. A student spends just over 10,000 hours attending school from 6-12th grade. The average teen in the U.S. will spend just over 10,000 hours during that same period playing games — about 22 hours a week (a part-time job!).
These gamers have a sense of optimism — they believe they CAN win the game. So what if we change the game to have a real impact on the world around us? Imagine what problems we could solve.