While McGonigal made many interesting connections between gaming and happiness, I found myself drawn to the part where she answers the question of which intrinsic rewards are most essential to human satisfaction. She concludes that humans need to experience satisfying work, the experience of success, social connection, and meaning in a larger context in order to be happy. Gaming, then, meets all of these, resulting in overall happiness for those who choose to experience it.
At one point, McGonigal quotes writer Elizabeth Gilbert, who says, "Happiness is the consequence of personal effort...You have to participate relentlessly in the manifestations of your own blessings." This quote struck me, as lately I've forgotten about the blessings in my life that make me happy. So this week, I'm committing to make a conscious effort to invest in what is truly valuable to me-- friends, faith, family, relationships, education, and relaxation. While this personal reflection may not have been McGonigal's intention, it was refreshing to me at this point in the semester.
In case you'd like to hear more about happiness, here are some of my favorite TED Talks on the topic:
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (thanks to this class...)-
"Flow, the Secret to Happiness"
Malcolm Gladwell (my personal favorite author)-
"Choice, Happiness, and Spaghetti Sauce"
Graham Hill- "Less Stuff, More Happiness"
And just for fun, another Jane McGonigal talk:
Thanks for sharing in class. If you haven't checked out her website, SuperBetter.com. She developed a "game" for people to develop themselves in different ways, so being more grateful, etc are actually "quests" and activities you can do in your game and get points for :)
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