This isn’t a game.

‘We’re afraid of losing track of where the game ends and where reality begins’. (McGonigal, 2011, p19)

Games can lead us to somewhat abandon our own morals and ethics in favour of someone or something else’s rules, whether it is games you play on a personal computer, game console, mobile phones or board games. People play games became they want to accomplish a winning, but they never want the game to end.

There is something essentially unique about the way in which games are structured and the experience it creates for the user. Take Tetris for example. When playing Tetris you are guaranteed to lose because the game has to end at some point. It only gets harder when you’re playing well, creating a perfect balance between hard challenge and achievability.

James P. Carse once wrote that there are two different kinds of games: finite games that we play solely to win, and infinite games that we play in order to keep playing as long as possible. Tetris is a prime example of an infinite game because we play Tetris for the only purpose of continuing to play a good game.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." (McGonigal, 2011, p29)

We can forget the impacts that our efforts have on anything so we generally feel unsatisfied with our efforts of work. But when we are in virtual world of video gaming or any game we are rewarded by winning at the end even if there is no external reward.

There is an emotional attachment that comes with the playing or addiction of games. As society is so evolved into gaming designers know to try to create games that will create emotional highs and not lows.

　

McGonigal, J., (2011). Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World, Penguin Press HC, (P.19-34)

Fun Work

The fact that we use games to relax form the hard works of life is fantastic even though games are work as well, as they set obstacles for us and give a way to over come them. “Compared with games, reality is too easy.  Games challenge us with voluntary obstacles and help us put our personal strengths to better use.”(McGonigal, J.,(2012) p.g.32) Games create different forms of work weather that is busywork, mental work, physical work, discovery work, teamwork, and creative work each giving us different senses of enjoyment. 

The reason we love this type of work so much it that this form of work is work that we have choose for ourselves. The ability to choose your own work is amazing; we can finally pick work for ourselves that play to each of our individual strengths, however this form of work is usually none productive and is an escape of life’s reality.  We find enjoyment form this type of work because it is good hard work that has been done based on your ability’s and strengths. 

Ok now lets break down a game and look at how someone can find enjoyment from completing work. For example if we take a look at Star Trek online. Star Trek Online is a massively multiplayer online game producing different forms of mental and team working work as your player progresses through the Star Trek universe. Mental work revs up our cognitive faculties for example in Star Trek online there are a number of different puzzles to be carried out with in the given time scale. This rush is the feeling of accomplishment when we put our brains to good use. Teamwork emphasizes collaboration, cooperation, and contributions to a large group. For example in the twenty people team assaults in Star Trek online, we take great satisfaction in knowing we have a unique and important role to play in a much bigger effort.

JANE McGONIGAL (2012). Reality Is Broken. New York: THE PENGUIN PRESS. 32.