We think of games as escapist – as helping us forget about real lives – rather than as adding to our real lives. We think of games as something we play to forget about our problems – not to help us solve real problems. We think of games as fundamentally separate from reality – and I am here to say that this is not only completely wrong, it’s actually the most dangerous idea we have about games today. Why is it a dangerous idea? Because the biggest obstacle to industry growth is the perception that games are a waste of time. Meanwhile, the biggest source of criticism of videogames is that they are addicting and a distraction from what really matters: real life. The great challenge for the next decade of games is to battle this perception – AND to do a better job of making games that clearly and powerfully connect with our real lives.

1. We spend 3 billion hours a week playing videogames. … is it worth it?

2. We’ve convinced ourselves: Games are awaste of time.

3. They’re addicting – and a distraction from what really matters: real life.

5. “Playing games is the single most productive thing we can do with our time.”

6. We should play games 21 billion hours a week!

7. WTF? That’s a crazy idea.

9. Does 10,000 hours of playing computer and videogames have side effects?

13. Do games bring out the best in us?

16. Are games a gateway to real-life goals?

19. Do games change who we think we really are?

22. Are games protecting us from real harm?

25. Can games give us real-life superpowers?

27. YES. Games do bring out the best in us. Games are a gateway to real-life goals. Games do change who we think we really are. Games are protecting us from real harm. Games can give us actual superpowers.

28. With great gaming comes great responsibility.

30. “The opposite of play isn’twork – it’s depression.”

31. EUSTRESS positive stress

38. The positive emotions we get from games are already spilling over into real life.

39. But we can do more. We can make a bigger positive impact.

40. How are we Doing? Positive Emotion A- Relationships B Meaning F Accomplishments D+

41. How are we Doing? Positive Emotion A+ Relationships A- Meaning B+ Accomplishments A+ (in the game)

42. FLOURISHING Positive Emotion Relationships Meaning Accomplishments (PERMA) (in reality)

43. Real Positive Emotion

44. The Springboard Effect

45. (not this, exactly)

46. (more like this)

48. Jane the concussionslayer

49. My watcher: my twin sister Kelly

50. My Willow: my husband Kiyash

51. My Xander: my friends Natalie, Rommel & Maurice

52. Make recovery feel: Possible – optimism Interesting – curiosity Self-motivated – agency Meaningful – awe, wonder … for me AND my caretakers.

53. SuperBetter a multi-player adventure game

54. Real Relationships

55. We need radically more cooperative games LET’S PLAY: “DhoomMachale”, circa 2013, the world’s first FPS dance game

60. Real Meaning

61. We need games that spark real hope LET’S PLAY: “Civ D”, circa 2014, the first AAA game about surviving a peaceful revolution

68. Real Accomplishments

69. We need games that deliver real achievements LET’S PLAY: “Fallout: 中国”, circa 2015, an action role-playing game that requires increasingly complex conversational Mandarin to interact with characters

72. 你好 Ni hao HELLO 谢谢 Xiexie THANK YOU

75. We spend 3 billion hours a week playing videogames. … is it worth it?

76. How are we Doing? Positive Emotion A- Relationships B Meaning F Accomplishments D+

77. With great gaming comes great responsibility.

78. Gameful.org

79. QUESTIONS? P.S. Let’s tweet: @avantgame Or get these slides: slideshare.net/avantgame