Jane McGonigal began the 6th chapter of Reality is Broken by talking about the huge accomplishment by the Halo community, reaching 10 billion kills. McGonigal addressed the achievement as if it were a community of 15 million people who were all truly fighting for the United Nations Space Commands. However, while I was reading I had to ask myself could we really consider these gamers as people who fought? I understood this was a large milestone for the Halo community, and I agreed that it was something to be proud of, but not to the extent of Jane McGonigal.

As the chapter went on, McGonigal explained that games give us a sense of meaning. In her perspective, our actions in these alternate worlds make us matter in something beyond our own individual lives. McGonigal claims that the activities that gamers partake in offer significance in greater communities or organizations. This is where I begin to question McGonigal’s perspective. If someone wanted to make an impact or have an identity in their community, why wouldn’t they do that in their everyday lives? What is the difference between being part of a sports team and helping them reach the championship and reaching 10 billion kills on Halo? Wouldn’t people want to engage more in local communities than communicate with people online via discussion forums and wikis?

Fix #6, the notion that games make us part of something bigger seemed to be a reoccurring theme of this chapter. But what I couldn’t originally figure out was, what was the “something bigger” that gamers got to be a part of? McGonigal later in the chapter explained that it’s the game’s story that creates a bigger picture. With a narrative behind the game, the actions that players choose to make suddenly have meaning. To add to this, the game also shows you the direct impact you have on this alternate life. But is that better than seeing your impact in the real world? I understand that games have the ability to fulfill the emotions of epic and awe. They commonly provide gamers with memorable gratifying experiences and positive emotion. Although, I don’t see the advantage of experiencing these emotions in the virtual world rather than in reality.

When McGonigal nears the end of the chapter and speaks about Epic Environments, I couldn’t seem to grasp how the virtual world could compare with the real world. In my opinion, the Grand Canyon creates the sense of awe. The feeling of chills and goosebumps overcome your body as you stare miles deep into natures creation. Personally, I don’t have the same reaction when my phone lights up to play a game. Having that said, McGonigal clarifies why these games are able to evoke similar feelings. In a game like Halo 3, the intricate work and dedication are evident. The soundtracks were wisely chosen to help to heighten the emotions that you would similarly feel when seeing the Great Wall of China. The likeness is that they’re both the result of an extreme-scale collaboration, a human accomplishment. When McGonigal clarified her interpretation of these Epic Environments it became more evident how some of the feelings could be shared.

Overall, there were definitely portions of this chapter that I disagreed with. However, I believe that McGonigal does a great job of explaining her logic and defending her viewpoints.