RIB Ch. 9 & 10 Response
Chapter 9 is probably the closest I have come to one-hundred percent agreeing with McGonigal in her book so far. I think calling reality “lonely and isolating” is a tad too extreme, because there are many moments of reality that are not associated with these feelings. Unlike usually, this is my only point of disagreement from Chapter 9. Regardless, these emotions do exist, and an online community can be very beneficial to finding a feeling of belonging (even if temporary). I think I found more common ground in this chapter because she doesn’t present any of the games, Comfort of Strangers, Ghosts of a Chance, or Bounce, as the solution to everything ever and instead focuses on potential benefits while also recognizing their effects may not be long-lasting.
In Chapter 10, McGonigal talks about “happiness hacking” which basically says that games can be used as a mechanism for handling bigger things. In her first example, Cruel 2 B Kind is a modified version of assassin which uses complements instead of weapons to take down targets. The wrinkle is that the players aren’t completely sure who else is playing, leading to them complementing a lot of non-players. I actually like this idea, because while the effects won’t last forever, it always gives me a little confidence when a complete stranger complements me. Imagine that little boost times ten, twenty, or even a hundred! The second and third games, Tombstone Hold’em and Top Secret Dance-Off, don’t necessarily appeal to me, but I can understand why others might like them. In Tombstone Hold’em, I personally can’t get over the fact that it takes place in a cemetery. They freak me out, and that is not how/where I choose to confront and process death. On the flip side, I see how using a method such as this could help others. For her third example, I personally don’t have an issue hiding my dance moves (no matter how horrendous they are), but because I dance, I know the feeling of euphoria that McGonigal referenced and it is AMAZING. If someone needs an anonymous venue to show-off their skills, I fully encourage it because everyone deserves to feel that pure bliss.
As a whole, I actually liked what McGonigal had to say in these two chapter because it felt less critical of reality and more about small supplemental games and strategies to make the uncomfortable, awkward, self-critical, troubling portions of reality more bearable. Whether its finding an online community to connect with via a game or “hacking happiness”, I think McGonigal put forth some viable ideas. Do you all agree with this?
I agree with Alexandra that some games do have the ability to satisfy things that reality can’t provide. Although when I say this I am only speaking about certain games. I don’t think someone who battles with depression will somehow be happy when they sit down and play doodle jump. I liked the point you brought up that although games may provide us with these sensations, the effects are not long lasting.