When I went into the first chapter, I thought that I was pretty pro-gaming. But, Jane McGonigal’s examination of the English language made me question my position. I’ve definitely used phrases like, “This isn’t a game”, “Stop playing around”, and “Gaming the system.” I never thought of them as part of society’s distrust of games and the people who play them; they were just phrases that people said. The weird hypocrisy is similar to how gaming isn’t considered “mainstream”, even though the industry has a majority of Americans (and more money than Hollywood) behind it. It’s strange how thought of gaming as a small, fringe entertainment movement has stayed in the public consciousness even to now.

McGonigal’s explanation of different types of work, and how they differ in real life and games, really showed how the simple action of choosing to do something makes the experience much more rewarding. For example, I HATE busywork, but when I choose to do it in a game, I tend to have a wonderful time just turning my brain off. She also brought up how choosing to do those arbitrary challenges, and over coming them, can lead to on of the best senses of euphoria out there. It also explains how, even though games are lumped in with reading books and watching TV, they tend to give us satisfaction more closely related to finishing a large project, or working out. Games let us put our brain to use: actively improving and constantly engaged, while also providing a bit of escapism from reality.

Speaking of reality, in the second chapter, McGonigal explains how different types of gamers can be used to classify different types of “real world” people and how they live their lives.