Gaming

After watching the video of Jane Mcgonigal's ted talk, "Gaming Can Make a Better World," and reading the article "Why We Play," it's clear that there is deeper meanings to games, specifically video games. In both the video and the article a subject that is a major factor in game playing is that it makes people feel good. Life is sort of like a game where there's is many obstacles you have to endure before you feel the satisfaction of reward. But unlike life, games are capable of giving these rewards quicker and more frequently thus making people feel good. Everyone likes to be rewarded especially people who feel they haven't been rewarded enough in everday life. Another factor is that it causes people to persist and not give up, a tendency a lot of people suffer with in the real world. When someone's playing a game they're more likely to stick with it to the end no matter the obstacles they face. They do this because they want the reward of finishing what they started and subsequently, 'winning.' Another factor is that it brings people together and creates friendships and bonds. Not everyone is good at making friends in real life but when they're in a game it doesn't seem to be hard. It also helps that people playing the game often have similar interests. Everyone wants a friend, even if they're more comfortable alone it helps to have someone to talk to and spend time with even if it's through a computer screen. Games are so popular because they offer a lot of things sometimes real life may lack, and it's pretty amazing that games have come so far.