A lternate  R eality  a  game designer ’s perspective on the future of  collaboration  – and 10 ways to save the  real world Jane McGonigal, Ph.D.   Institute for the Future
A lternate  R eality  ' Play  will be to the 21st century what  work  was to the last 300 years of industrial society -- our dominant way of  knowing ,  doing  and  creating value .' --Pat Kane, author of  The Play Ethic
“ We are witnessing what amounts to no less than a global  mass exodus  to virtual worlds and other online gaming environments.”    – economist Edward Castranova  As a perceived source of value, is virtuality beating reality?
 
 
 
 
 
“ We are witnessing what amounts to no less than a global  mass exodus  to virtual worlds and other online gaming environments.”    – economist Edward Castranova  An exodus of  time   (16+ hours/week) … of  attention      … of  money  ($1.5 B)        … and of  passion . As a perceived source of value, is virtuality beating reality?
 
User Hours per Month
US $ Exchanged on Lindex (in Millions)
Premium Residents – the serious investment
 
This exodus to virtual worlds and games is  an extremely important signal  –   Not (as some think) that we will or should  abandon reality , but rather a signal that we need to  make our reality work better . We need an  alternate reality …  one that works  more like a networked game . As a perceived source of value, is virtuality beating reality?
How do networked games work? ~ clear  goals  and specific  avenues  for advancement ~ dynamic  feedback  and   focused  attention ~ highly  responsive  environments ~ a rich, world (re)building  mythology   ~ intense  community  ~ a shared  context  for action  ~ a sense of heroic  purpose
Alternate Reality Game designers are a new breed of  hackers . …. hacking everyday, real-life spaces, habits,  and social institutions to be more like a networked game. Why?  Because ARG designers believe  games  work better  than reality .
How do Alternate Realities  “work better”? they better meet the gamers’  new standards for happiness they better harness the gamers’  talents for collaboration “ The opposite of play isn't work , it's depression. To play is to act out and be  willful, exultant and committed  -- as if one is assured of one's prospects.” -- Brian Sutton Smith, anthropologist
A Global Future Forecast: In the next decade, we will see more businesses and organizations developing and adopting   customized alternate realities , in order to  reach gamers  and to create a   radically better   way of doing business, engaging the public, and innovating in the real world.
A Future Forecast  for AMP : In the next decade,  the new gamer majority  represents  a challenging and increasingly significant market  for financial services.  Meanwhile, gamers join the work force prepared to  be engaged  and  harnessed for innovation  by real-world gaming mechanics.
The New Gamer Majority 79 percent  of Australians report having “ gamer households .”* Sales of games in Australia topped  $1 Billion in 2006* *From a comprehensive 2007 study  conducted by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) in conjunction with Bond University's Centre for New Media Research.
The New Gamer Majority The average age of gamers in Australia  now   is  28 years old , up from 24 years old in 2005.* But by 2014 the average age of gamers will be   42 years old   -- the overall average age of Australians.* *From a comprehensive 2007 study  conducted by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) in conjunction with Bond University's Centre for New Media Research.
41 percent  of all Australian gamers are now  female , up from 38 percent in 2005.* By 2012 the   number of female gamers will be  the same  as male gamers .* The New Gamer Majority *From a comprehensive 2007 study  conducted by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) in conjunction with Bond University's Centre for New Media Research.
1.  What do gamers want  from their real lives? 2.  How can gamers best be harnessed  for real-world business and innovation? What AMP needs to know about  The New Gamer Majority:
What AMP needs to know about  The New Gamer Majority: Foresight     insight:  Leading-edge  Alternate Realities   currently provide   the strongest evidence   for what gamers really want –  and   the best blueprint   for how to engage them in the real-world.
The concept “alternate reality” comes from  science fiction .  “ a  hybrid  of Fantasy and Alternate History that alters this world's  dynamics .”
In an AR, a game becomes  an alternative  framework  for experiencing  everyday life . “ An alternate reality is  another way  of  experiencing existence .” - G. S. ELRICK, 1978
World Without Oil,  2007 alternate reality game ( www.worldwithoutoil.org )
 
 
 
“ This was a blog for an ARG. But I am real.  My game profile is accurate. The people I wrote about in-game have RL identities. My husband really is too smart for his own good. My dog really is sick – but he’s going to be fine. Some of the events I wrote about in-game really did occur, others were my own musings. But the rest is  entirely possible and that’s what matters.”  –WWO player manicHalo via blog real  play, not  role  play.
Massively networked media  constructs  and  confirms  the alternate reality
 
 
When  the game ends , the  alternate reality continues .   “ When they  returned , they discovered that … their  excursion  had created a  new  alternate reality.” - G. A. EFFINGER, 1989
“ I really mean it when I say WWO changed my life.  I really have been walking more/driving less, using my cloth bags at the stores, turning off lights, and yes, recycling. My friends, family and coworkers have all noticed the difference.   In all seriousness, this entire thing has made me a different person .” -player Falling Sin, via email When  the game ends , the  alternate reality continues .
How do Alternate Realities  “work better”? they better meet the gamers’  new standards for happiness
In the future, how important is financial wealth? “ Money really cannot buy happiness.”  -- The   New York Times .  “ Money, amazingly, is losing its power.”  –  Martin Seligman,  Authentic Happiness
In the future, how important is financial wealth? “ Our economy is rapidly changing from a  money economy  to a.  Beyond the safety net, more money adds little  satisfaction economy  or nothing to subjective well-being.  We are about to witness a politics that goes  beyond the safety net  and takes  the pursuit of happiness  very seriously indeed. ”  –  Martin Seligman,  Authentic Happiness
Stated values of  gamers  vs.  non-gamers
 
 
Well-Being Inventory “ I am  optimistic  about the future.”  “ I feel  close to most people , even if I do not know them well.” “ My existence makes the world  a better place .”
“ So what did this game accomplish?  I'll tell you what I got out of it - we're dealing with a  hard  set of problems! … All of those people, thinking about the worst-case scenarios, brainstorming community solutions! That's a very promising thought…. The game has left the game, but a great community has been built.  We've  only just begun!” -player OrangeForaHead, via blog   Reality +  optimism for the future .
“ I end this game with HOPE.  Because, that is what I'm filled with in this moment.  I have HOPE for our future.  And  what a powerful feeling that is.”  –  player Falling Sin Reality +  optimism for the future .
"This is the first time in my life where I felt I had the power to  change the course of history .” -player Peak Prophet, via blog Reality +  makes the world better
“ We have the potential to create community on a scale never before imagined on this planet, and I think only by creating that community, by working together despite race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability status, religion, or anything like that…  the world will end up a little more united after this .” -player Juiceman1, via blog Reality +  close to other people
3 Tiers of Happiness: 1. pleasure   –   feeling good 2. engagement  –   doing good 3. meaning  –  discovering good
“ If you want to live a happy life,  tie it to a goal , not to things.”  – Albert Einstein Insight:  It’s not the sum of things - the   score . It’s the   engagement  and  the meaning . In the future, how important is financial wealth?
Attent , 2007 beta  alternate reality enterprise software
 
 
How do Alternate Realities  “work better”? they better harness the gamers’  talents for collaboration
Institute of Play , 2009 opening Alternate Reality Public School
Collective Intelligence - Pierre Levy, 1994 Cogito, ergo sum      Cogitamus, ergo sumus
 
3 Collective Intelligence Hallmarks: Massively multiple users connected via  networks Social  data-gathering, sharing, and analysis Surprising, or “ emergent ”, results
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I Love Bees , 2004 alternate reality game  www.ilovebees.com
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Why  I Love Bees : A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming” (2008, forthcoming)
What AMP needs to know about  The New Gamer Majority: Foresight     insight:  Leading-edge  Alternate Realities   currently provide   the strongest evidence   for what gamers really want –  and   the best blueprint   for how to engage them in the real-world.
Invitation Graphic Goes Here
Super imposing Super sizing   Super computing   Super heroic   We are witnessing the evolution of everyday, real-world  super heroes.
10 Powers of   Super–Collaboration ,  or,   10 Ways to  Save the Real World Mobbability Open Authorship  Influency Emergensight  Ping Quotient  Longbroading  Multi-Capitalism  Cooperation Radar  Protovation  Signal/Noise  Management
Mobbability the ability to perform real-time work in large groups a talent for organizing and collaborating with many people simultaneously
Influency the ability to be persuasive in multiple social contexts and media spaces  an understanding that each context and space requires a different persuasive strategy and technique
Ping Quotient measures your responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement, your propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network
Multi-Capitalism fluency in working with and negotiating alternate capitals natural, intellectual, social, financial, human, e.g.
Protovation fearless experimentation in rapid, iterative cycles  an understanding that the costs of short-term failure have been dramatically lowered
Open Authorship ease and savvy in creating content for “open consumption” – through peer 2 peer circulation, citation, and modification
Emergensight ability to prepare for and handle the surprising results and complexity that occur at larger scales
Longbroading thinking in terms of higher level systems, massively multiple cycles, and a  much bigger picture
Cooperation Radar the ability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task
Signal/Noise Management filtering meaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from  massively-multiple  streams of data
10 Powers of   Super–Collaboration ,  or,   10 Ways to  Save the Real World Mobbability Open Authorship  Influency Emergensight  Ping Quotient  Longbroading  Multi-Capitalism  Cooperation Radar  Protovation  Signal/Noise  Management
Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TM A  10 minute experiment  to harness  your  10 collective superpowers
Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TM A  10-minute experiment  to harness  your  10 collective superpowers  You have  2 minutes  each round to join with other players and form as high-scoring a word as possible.  If you are not in a word when  time is up , you don’t get any points for the round!
Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TM A  10-minute experiment  to harness  your  10 collective superpowers  The  Question Team  has 3 minutes to write a question engaging as many team members as possible. Then, the  Answer Team  has 2 minutes to write an answer.
10 Powers of   Super–Collaboration ,  or,   10 Ways to  Save the Real World Mobbability Open Authorship  Influency Emergensight  Ping Quotient  Longbroading  Multi-Capitalism  Cooperation Radar  Protovation  Signal/Noise  Management
“ You've   opened our eyes   and  infected our minds   with realities and possibilities.”  – ARG gamer www.slideshare.net/avantgame Can AMP come out and play?

A game designer's perspective on the future of collaboration - and 10 ways to save the real world

  • 1.
    A lternate R eality a game designer ’s perspective on the future of collaboration – and 10 ways to save the real world Jane McGonigal, Ph.D. Institute for the Future
  • 2.
    A lternate R eality ' Play will be to the 21st century what work was to the last 300 years of industrial society -- our dominant way of knowing , doing and creating value .' --Pat Kane, author of The Play Ethic
  • 3.
    “ We arewitnessing what amounts to no less than a global mass exodus to virtual worlds and other online gaming environments.” – economist Edward Castranova As a perceived source of value, is virtuality beating reality?
  • 4.
  • 5.
  • 6.
  • 7.
  • 8.
  • 9.
    “ We arewitnessing what amounts to no less than a global mass exodus to virtual worlds and other online gaming environments.” – economist Edward Castranova An exodus of time (16+ hours/week) … of attention … of money ($1.5 B) … and of passion . As a perceived source of value, is virtuality beating reality?
  • 10.
  • 11.
  • 12.
    US $ Exchangedon Lindex (in Millions)
  • 13.
    Premium Residents –the serious investment
  • 14.
  • 15.
    This exodus tovirtual worlds and games is an extremely important signal – Not (as some think) that we will or should abandon reality , but rather a signal that we need to make our reality work better . We need an alternate reality … one that works more like a networked game . As a perceived source of value, is virtuality beating reality?
  • 16.
    How do networkedgames work? ~ clear goals and specific avenues for advancement ~ dynamic feedback and focused attention ~ highly responsive environments ~ a rich, world (re)building mythology ~ intense community ~ a shared context for action ~ a sense of heroic purpose
  • 17.
    Alternate Reality Gamedesigners are a new breed of hackers . …. hacking everyday, real-life spaces, habits, and social institutions to be more like a networked game. Why? Because ARG designers believe games work better than reality .
  • 18.
    How do AlternateRealities “work better”? they better meet the gamers’ new standards for happiness they better harness the gamers’ talents for collaboration “ The opposite of play isn't work , it's depression. To play is to act out and be willful, exultant and committed -- as if one is assured of one's prospects.” -- Brian Sutton Smith, anthropologist
  • 19.
    A Global FutureForecast: In the next decade, we will see more businesses and organizations developing and adopting customized alternate realities , in order to reach gamers and to create a radically better way of doing business, engaging the public, and innovating in the real world.
  • 20.
    A Future Forecast for AMP : In the next decade, the new gamer majority represents a challenging and increasingly significant market for financial services. Meanwhile, gamers join the work force prepared to be engaged and harnessed for innovation by real-world gaming mechanics.
  • 21.
    The New GamerMajority 79 percent of Australians report having “ gamer households .”* Sales of games in Australia topped $1 Billion in 2006* *From a comprehensive 2007 study conducted by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) in conjunction with Bond University's Centre for New Media Research.
  • 22.
    The New GamerMajority The average age of gamers in Australia now is 28 years old , up from 24 years old in 2005.* But by 2014 the average age of gamers will be 42 years old -- the overall average age of Australians.* *From a comprehensive 2007 study conducted by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) in conjunction with Bond University's Centre for New Media Research.
  • 23.
    41 percent of all Australian gamers are now female , up from 38 percent in 2005.* By 2012 the number of female gamers will be the same as male gamers .* The New Gamer Majority *From a comprehensive 2007 study conducted by the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) in conjunction with Bond University's Centre for New Media Research.
  • 24.
    1. Whatdo gamers want from their real lives? 2. How can gamers best be harnessed for real-world business and innovation? What AMP needs to know about The New Gamer Majority:
  • 25.
    What AMP needsto know about The New Gamer Majority: Foresight  insight: Leading-edge Alternate Realities currently provide the strongest evidence for what gamers really want – and the best blueprint for how to engage them in the real-world.
  • 26.
    The concept “alternatereality” comes from science fiction . “ a hybrid of Fantasy and Alternate History that alters this world's dynamics .”
  • 27.
    In an AR,a game becomes an alternative framework for experiencing everyday life . “ An alternate reality is another way of experiencing existence .” - G. S. ELRICK, 1978
  • 28.
    World Without Oil, 2007 alternate reality game ( www.worldwithoutoil.org )
  • 29.
  • 30.
  • 31.
  • 32.
    “ This wasa blog for an ARG. But I am real.  My game profile is accurate. The people I wrote about in-game have RL identities. My husband really is too smart for his own good. My dog really is sick – but he’s going to be fine. Some of the events I wrote about in-game really did occur, others were my own musings. But the rest is entirely possible and that’s what matters.” –WWO player manicHalo via blog real play, not role play.
  • 33.
    Massively networked media constructs and confirms the alternate reality
  • 34.
  • 35.
  • 36.
    When thegame ends , the alternate reality continues . “ When they returned , they discovered that … their excursion had created a new alternate reality.” - G. A. EFFINGER, 1989
  • 37.
    “ I reallymean it when I say WWO changed my life. I really have been walking more/driving less, using my cloth bags at the stores, turning off lights, and yes, recycling. My friends, family and coworkers have all noticed the difference.   In all seriousness, this entire thing has made me a different person .” -player Falling Sin, via email When the game ends , the alternate reality continues .
  • 38.
    How do AlternateRealities “work better”? they better meet the gamers’ new standards for happiness
  • 39.
    In the future,how important is financial wealth? “ Money really cannot buy happiness.” -- The New York Times . “ Money, amazingly, is losing its power.” – Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness
  • 40.
    In the future,how important is financial wealth? “ Our economy is rapidly changing from a money economy to a. Beyond the safety net, more money adds little satisfaction economy or nothing to subjective well-being. We are about to witness a politics that goes beyond the safety net and takes the pursuit of happiness very seriously indeed. ” – Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness
  • 41.
    Stated values of gamers vs. non-gamers
  • 42.
  • 43.
  • 44.
    Well-Being Inventory “I am optimistic about the future.” “ I feel close to most people , even if I do not know them well.” “ My existence makes the world a better place .”
  • 45.
    “ So whatdid this game accomplish? I'll tell you what I got out of it - we're dealing with a hard set of problems! … All of those people, thinking about the worst-case scenarios, brainstorming community solutions! That's a very promising thought…. The game has left the game, but a great community has been built. We've only just begun!” -player OrangeForaHead, via blog Reality + optimism for the future .
  • 46.
    “ I endthis game with HOPE.  Because, that is what I'm filled with in this moment. I have HOPE for our future. And what a powerful feeling that is.” – player Falling Sin Reality + optimism for the future .
  • 47.
    "This is thefirst time in my life where I felt I had the power to change the course of history .” -player Peak Prophet, via blog Reality + makes the world better
  • 48.
    “ We havethe potential to create community on a scale never before imagined on this planet, and I think only by creating that community, by working together despite race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability status, religion, or anything like that… the world will end up a little more united after this .” -player Juiceman1, via blog Reality + close to other people
  • 49.
    3 Tiers ofHappiness: 1. pleasure – feeling good 2. engagement – doing good 3. meaning – discovering good
  • 50.
    “ If youwant to live a happy life, tie it to a goal , not to things.” – Albert Einstein Insight: It’s not the sum of things - the score . It’s the engagement and the meaning . In the future, how important is financial wealth?
  • 51.
    Attent , 2007beta alternate reality enterprise software
  • 52.
  • 53.
  • 54.
    How do AlternateRealities “work better”? they better harness the gamers’ talents for collaboration
  • 55.
    Institute of Play, 2009 opening Alternate Reality Public School
  • 56.
    Collective Intelligence -Pierre Levy, 1994 Cogito, ergo sum  Cogitamus, ergo sumus
  • 57.
  • 58.
    3 Collective IntelligenceHallmarks: Massively multiple users connected via networks Social data-gathering, sharing, and analysis Surprising, or “ emergent ”, results
  • 59.
  • 60.
  • 61.
  • 62.
  • 63.
  • 64.
  • 65.
  • 66.
  • 67.
  • 68.
    I Love Bees, 2004 alternate reality game www.ilovebees.com
  • 69.
  • 70.
  • 71.
  • 72.
  • 73.
  • 74.
  • 75.
  • 76.
  • 77.
  • 78.
  • 79.
    “Why ILove Bees : A Case Study in Collective Intelligence Gaming” (2008, forthcoming)
  • 80.
    What AMP needsto know about The New Gamer Majority: Foresight  insight: Leading-edge Alternate Realities currently provide the strongest evidence for what gamers really want – and the best blueprint for how to engage them in the real-world.
  • 81.
  • 82.
    Super imposing Supersizing Super computing Super heroic We are witnessing the evolution of everyday, real-world super heroes.
  • 83.
    10 Powers of Super–Collaboration , or, 10 Ways to Save the Real World Mobbability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Cooperation Radar Protovation Signal/Noise Management
  • 84.
    Mobbability the abilityto perform real-time work in large groups a talent for organizing and collaborating with many people simultaneously
  • 85.
    Influency the abilityto be persuasive in multiple social contexts and media spaces an understanding that each context and space requires a different persuasive strategy and technique
  • 86.
    Ping Quotient measuresyour responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement, your propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network
  • 87.
    Multi-Capitalism fluency inworking with and negotiating alternate capitals natural, intellectual, social, financial, human, e.g.
  • 88.
    Protovation fearless experimentationin rapid, iterative cycles an understanding that the costs of short-term failure have been dramatically lowered
  • 89.
    Open Authorship easeand savvy in creating content for “open consumption” – through peer 2 peer circulation, citation, and modification
  • 90.
    Emergensight ability toprepare for and handle the surprising results and complexity that occur at larger scales
  • 91.
    Longbroading thinking interms of higher level systems, massively multiple cycles, and a much bigger picture
  • 92.
    Cooperation Radar theability to sense, almost intuitively, who would make the best collaborators on a particular task
  • 93.
    Signal/Noise Management filteringmeaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from massively-multiple streams of data
  • 94.
    10 Powers of Super–Collaboration , or, 10 Ways to Save the Real World Mobbability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Cooperation Radar Protovation Signal/Noise Management
  • 95.
    Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TMA 10 minute experiment to harness your 10 collective superpowers
  • 96.
    Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TMA 10-minute experiment to harness your 10 collective superpowers You have 2 minutes each round to join with other players and form as high-scoring a word as possible. If you are not in a word when time is up , you don’t get any points for the round!
  • 97.
    Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TMA 10-minute experiment to harness your 10 collective superpowers The Question Team has 3 minutes to write a question engaging as many team members as possible. Then, the Answer Team has 2 minutes to write an answer.
  • 98.
    10 Powers of Super–Collaboration , or, 10 Ways to Save the Real World Mobbability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Cooperation Radar Protovation Signal/Noise Management
  • 99.
    “ You've opened our eyes and infected our minds with realities and possibilities.” – ARG gamer www.slideshare.net/avantgame Can AMP come out and play?