Jane McGonigal: The game that can give you 10 extra years of life

 

   This is a blog is about TED Talks. We were to watch a video presentation to help us prepare for our own presentations in class. The TED Talk video I choose is one of my favorites. It is a presentation by Jane McGonigal. Jane's presentation was about a game that can add 10 years to your life. She also promised to add 7.5 minutes to everyone's life before they left. Jane believes that the concepts that make us happy playing video games can be utilized to make our real lives happier and longer. How did she do this you might ask. Jane went about it in a smart way.

     In the beginning of the presentation she showed a few simple graphics that explained what people, who are on their deathbeds, regret the most as they are about to pass. The list included:

1. I regret working too hard.
2. I regret not keeping in touch with my friends and family.
3. I regret not letting myself be happier.
4. I regret not having the courage to to express who I really am.
5. I regret living my life by what others expect of me instead of living true to my dreams.

  It was a few simple slides that she would use to assist in explaining how video games can help you not have these regrets later in life. Jane explained each point on the the list one by one. The slides did not take your attention off her at all. By doing this Jane remained the center of attention. Which is a great way to conduct a presentation.

      Jane explained each point on the list. Jane said that working too hard means you wished you spent more time with your family and friends. Jane then explained that video games are proven to help this regret. Jane mentioned there was a study, scientific research conducted at Bringham Young University, that says playing more video games with your family and friends equates to having a stronger relationship with your family and friends.

     The second topic she covered was staying in touch with your friends and family. Video games can assist that dramatically. Jane spoke about the social media games that people play. These games are can utilized as "social management tools" to keep you connected to your family members that you may not have stayed connected with because they many miles away. If it was not for these games it would be much harder to stay connected.


     The third topic was to make yourself be happier. Jane brought up a study performed at East Carolina U that explains video games can make you happier. The study says that video games out perform pharmaceuticals in combating against clinical anxiety and depression. The study said that 30 minutes a day of online gaming proved to boost your current mood as well as long term increases in happiness.

    The forth topic deals with the courage to be who you really want to be. We all know that we cant be super heroes but isn't it fun to imagine yourself as a super being. Everyone does it, it is human nature. With video games we live out being a super hero, a super villain (like I do), a guitar player, a racer, or any sports athlete you can think of. We might not be able to do it in reality but the fantasy of video games will give you the ability to experience whatever you want regardless of what situation you are in. Jane also talked about how "Stanford has been doing research that says playing a game with an idealized avatar changes how we think and act in real life". This is helping us make better and smarter decisions in our life. I think it is because of the practice of problem solving via video games. This lets us know how we might respond in reality instead of being unprepared and reacting.

     The fifth topic is to live your life true to your dreams instead of what others expect you to do. She left this point and came back to it at the end. Jane said that by doing the other steps you will end up not regretting your life at all meaning that you will have lived your life truer to your dreams which is the what we all want.

     After these points Jane asks the question  Why should you listen to a gamer who has no near death experience? Jane then describes a situation in which she was contemplating suicide. She had a concussion that didn't heal correctly, driving her to depressive thoughts. Jane fought back what her brain was telling her by turning her recovery into a game. She enlisted allies (her husband and sister) to help her battle the situations that triggered her symptoms. This story was great for the presentation because it made her transparent to the audience. She was on stage telling a personal story that used the ideas she already stated to help her recovery. Jane was also able to add comedy to the dramatic situation which is a good move. Comic relief will  make it easier to deal with negativity. Jane went on to explain her game and what she specifically did to recover.

      The outcome of the game was that she recovered from her suicidal and depressive thoughts. She also spread her game online to help out other people. She made it so that different people with different problems could play. She named the game SuperBetter. People online were taking to her game very well. Everyone from a person with a weight problem to people with terminal illnesses were using the game to improve how happy they felt about themselves. This is another great move; she was showing other examples than her own where people were improving their lives by doing what she did.

     After this story she went on to explain the science behind it. Jane said that her and the other people doing the SuperBetter game were experiencing Post Traumatic Growth (PTG). This is a term I was unaware of; we all know what Post Traumatic Stress is but not Post Traumatic Growth. That says a lot about our society. Ironically, the top 5 traits of this PTG are the direct opposite of the top 5 regrets people have on their deathbed.
 
  Jane then explains her goal is to have you experience this phenomenon without having to go through a traumatic event. She explains that there are four strengths or resilience that contribute to PTG. These are four different  activities you can do to improve yourself without being traumatized. Jane said she could have told us what they were but she went a different route. Instead she interacted with the audience. She had the audience do a small activity under each one of the four types. They were simple enough that everyone in the audience could participate easily. That was another smart move. Everyone in the audience loved the game and participated which shows a good presentation.

     Jane then went to explain to everyone how by doing the quests that they did she added 7.5 minutes on to their lives. The four types of resilience are physical, mental, emotional, and social. She explained how continual adaption to these ideals can make you live 10 years longer.

   
 To sum up this presentation I thought it was amazing. It was the first TED Talks I ever watched and it was what got me hooked on TED Talks. I have sat and watched TED Talks for hours. The presentation had a lot of good things and with very little props. She focused on the facts, not the gimmicks.She used slides to emphasis what she was saying. The slides also took a back seat to her presentation. Jane had audience participation that was very successful. She also used humor by saying comments such as "now that you have 10 extra years in your life you can play more games". Jane didn't pace all over the stage she stayed in one spot. I think that is smart because your audience doesn't have to keep following you and they can put more effort in listening to the message. Her path was very clear and conveyed the message well. Every time I watch this video I just have to watch. I don't look away at all. I believe part is because she gave an awesome presentation but also because I also believe that video games, it utilized correctly, can help you in your life. They can relieve stress, help you socialize, work on your problem solving skills, and give your imagination a boost. They can also make you happier. The day after I watched this for the first time I called all of my friends and advised them to watch this video. Amazing job Jane!!!!!

Ajay IV