Videogame fanatics who spend a huge chunk of their waking hours playing games always have to deal with the same stuff from their non-gamer family and friends—stuff about how virtual reality can be bad, how they are not in touch with reality, how they are lacking social skills, etc. Well, Jane McGonigal of the Institute of the Future is singing a completely different tune. According to the game research and development head, more people should play more videogames in order to save the world.
This might sound like a kooky idea but it is at the core of McGonigal’s speech at TED 2010. If you don’t know what the TED 2010 conference is all about, it’s where intelligent and respected people in the industry gather to share their ideas and studies so one cannot just write off this speech as “wishful thinking”. McGonigal proposes 21 billion hours as a weekly quota when people need to play games. She said that long and intensive hours of videogames may just provide gamers with the skills that are necessary to come up with solutions to solve the world’s problems. While some people might call gamers “ nerds”, McGonigal actually refers to them as “super-empowered hopeful individuals” (tell that to the next person who bullies you about your videogames!).
So how does McGonigal explain the connection between gaming and saving the world? She says that when a person is playing a game, he is confident that he will overcome obstacles and believe that he can achieve victory. Once he goes back to reality, he loses this self-confidence and belief. McGonigal explains that if this reward system and courage is applied in reality, gamers could actually start changing the world.

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