a game designer ’s perspective on the future of happiness Jane McGonigal, Ph.D. Institute for the Future + 10 ways to engage audiences as players

The New Gamer Majority 69 percent of U.S. “ heads of household ” report playing games. * 42 percent of gamers are women . ** The majority of gamers are aged 22 – 44 and in middle-class incomes. ** *From a comprehensive 2006 study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association. ** From the 2007 annual NDP report on games.

69 percent of U.S. “ heads of household ” report playing games. *

42 percent of gamers are women . **

The majority of gamers are aged 22 – 44 and in middle-class incomes. **

The New Gamer Majority In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999. ** ** From the 2007 annual NDP report on games.

In 2007, 24 percent of Americans over the age of 50 played video games, an increase from nine percent in 1999. **

The New Gamer Majority 54% of gamers say they anticipate spending more time playing games 10 years from now than they do today. * 80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together. * *From a comprehensive 2006 study conducted by the Entertainment Software Association.

54% of gamers say they anticipate spending more time playing games 10 years from now than they do today. *

80 percent of gamer parents say they play video games with their kids. Sixty-six percent feel that playing games has brought their families closer together. *

“ 52 percent of U.S. gamers report watching less television as a result of spending more time playing games .” - Annual report of the Entertainment Software Association, 2006

“ 52 percent of U.S. gamers report watching less television as a result of spending more time playing games .”

- Annual report of the Entertainment Software Association, 2006

A Future Forecast for CTAM : In the next decade, this new gamer majority represents a challenging and increasingly significant market for the cable & telecommunications industry.

A Future Forecast for CTAM :

In the next decade, this new gamer majority represents a challenging and increasingly significant market for the cable & telecommunications industry.

“ We are witnessing what amounts to no less than a global mass exodus to virtual worlds and other online gaming environments.” –Edward Castranova, Synthetic Worlds

User Hours per Month

US $ Exchanged on Lindex (in Millions)

Why is this mass exodus to online game environments happening? To innovate in this space, you need to understand why games make people happier than other forms of entertainment.

Why is this mass exodus to online game environments happening?

To innovate in this space, you need to understand why games make people happier than other forms of entertainment.

A future forecast ( 2017 ): Quality of life becomes the primary metric for evaluating products and services. Positive psychology is increasingly a principal, explicit influence on design + development. The public will expect companies to present a clear vision for a life worth living. To succeed, a brand must increase real happiness – the new capital.

Quality of life becomes the primary metric for evaluating products and services.

Positive psychology is increasingly a principal, explicit influence on design + development.

The public will expect companies to present a clear vision for a life worth living.

To succeed, a brand must increase real happiness – the new capital.

EEGs + ESMs (ElectroEncephaloGraphs) + (Experience Sampling Methods)

EEGs + ESMs

(ElectroEncephaloGraphs) + (Experience Sampling Methods)

“ After watching TV , people's moods are about the same or worse than before.” --Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

“ After watching TV , people's moods are about the same or worse than before.”

--Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

“ Surveys show again and again that the average mood while watching television is mild depression .” -- Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

“ Surveys show again and again that the average mood while watching television is mild depression .”

-- Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

“ After playing games , people report i mprovements in mood. --Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

“ After playing games , people report i mprovements in mood.

--Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Flow

“ Playing games produces measurable and lasting increases in perceived well-being .” -- Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

“ Playing games produces measurable and lasting increases in perceived well-being .”

-- Martin Seligman, Authentic Happiness

The 3 Tiers of Happiness: 1. pleasure – feeling good 2. engagement – doing a good job 3. meaning – discovering good

1. pleasure

– feeling good

2. engagement

– doing a good job

3. meaning

– discovering good

Why do networked games generate more happiness? They create powerful engagement with: clear goals specific avenues for advancement dynamic feedback focused attention highly responsive environments

They create powerful engagement with:

clear goals

specific avenues for advancement

dynamic feedback

focused attention

highly responsive environments

Why do networked games generate more happiness? They create a sense of greater meaning through: a rich, world (re)building mythology intense community a shared context for action a sense of heroic purpose

They create a sense of greater meaning through:

a rich, world (re)building mythology

intense community

a shared context for action

a sense of heroic purpose

a game designer ’s perspective on the future of happiness

The exodus to networked gaming environments is an extremely important signal – Not (as some think) that the public will ultimately abandon everything else for games , but rather that we need to make other services and products as engaging and as meaningful as our games.

A Future Forecast for CTAM : Games will increasingly demand that cable & telecommunications services become part of their ongoing efforts to maximize happiness and generate well-being .

A Future Forecast for CTAM :

Games will increasingly demand that cable & telecommunications services become part of their ongoing efforts to maximize happiness and generate well-being .

A Future Forecast for CTAM : To be perceived as contributing to a higher quality of life, the cable & telecommunications industry must be branded as a vehicle for engagement and for collaborative meaning- making.

A Future Forecast for CTAM :

To be perceived as contributing to a higher quality of life, the cable & telecommunications industry must be branded as a vehicle for engagement and for collaborative meaning- making.

ENGAGEMENT Case Study: The Sopranos A & E Connection Area Code for A & E (2007)

Learn more: www.suitcaseofcash.com

10% of visitors to the site played the game to completion Average online playing time was 13 hours per player Record traffic and engagement numbers for www.aetv.com ENGAGEMENT Case Study: The Sopranos A & E Connection

10% of visitors to the site played the game to completion

Average online playing time was 13 hours per player

Record traffic and engagement numbers for www.aetv.com

MEANING-MAKING Case Study: NBC’s Heroes 360 Experience

“ Additional research has enabled the development of this new personality inventory to help determine whether you possess Heroic abilities….

“ Additional research has enabled the development of this new personality inventory to help determine whether you possess Heroic abilities….

“… But always remember, however powerful you may be as an individual, we are more powerful together than we could ever be apart.”

“… But always remember, however powerful you may be as an individual, we are more powerful together than we could ever be apart.”

MEANING-MAKING Case Study: NBC’s Heroes 360 Experience

http://heroeswiki.com/images/0/0e/Hanas_messages.jpg

MEANING-MAKING Case Study: NBC’s Heroes 360 Experience

MEANING-MAKING Case Study: NBC’s Heroes 360 Experience

MEANING-MAKING Case Study: NBC’s Heroes 360 Experience 6 million page views/week 27 million video downloads in first 8 weeks 200,000+ “real-world” subscribers

6 million page views/week

27 million video downloads in first 8 weeks

200,000+ “real-world” subscribers

“ We know what really makes people happy: It is to have good relationships with other human beings , to do work you like and to be a contributing member of some community .” – psychologist Stephen Peterson, University of Michigan

“ We know what really makes people happy: It is

to have good relationships with other human beings ,

to do work you like

and to be a contributing member of some community .”

– psychologist Stephen Peterson, University of Michigan

Invitation Graphic Goes Here

10 Super Powers of Networked Gamers -- or, 10 Ways to Turn Audiences into Players Mobbability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Cooperation Radar Protovation Signal/Noise Management

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

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

the ability to be persuasive in multiple social contexts and media spaces

Ping Quotient measures your responsiveness to other people’s requests for engagement, your propensity and ability to reach out to others in a network

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.

fluency in working with and negotiating alternate capitals

natural, intellectual, social, financial, human, e.g.

Protovation fearless experimentation in rapid, iterative cycles understanding that failure is fun

fearless experimentation in rapid, iterative cycles

understanding that failure is fun

Open Authorship ease and savvy in creating content for “open consumption” – through peer 2 peer circulation, citation, and modification

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

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

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

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

filtering meaningful info, patterns, and commonalities from massively-multiple streams of data

10 Super Powers of Networked Gamers -- or, 10 Ways to Turn Audiences into Players Mobbability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Cooperation Radar Protovation Signal/Noise Management

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 superpowers

A 10 minute experiment to harness your 10 superpowers

Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TM A 10-minute experiment to harness your 10 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!

A 10-minute experiment to harness your 10 superpowers

Super-Collaborative SCRABBLE TM A 10-minute experiment to harness your 10 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.

A 10-minute experiment to harness your 10 superpowers

10 Super Powers of Networked Gamers -- or, 10 Ways to Turn Audiences into Players Mobbability Open Authorship Influency Emergensight Ping Quotient Longbroading Multi-Capitalism Cooperation Radar Protovation Signal/Noise Management

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.” – a super gamer www.slideshare.net/avantgame Can CTAM come and play?

“ You've opened our eyes and infected our minds with realities and possibilities.” – a super gamer