Jane McGonigal talks about the goodness of games on The Colbert Report

@Frank the tank

Interesting statistics. I don't buy any of them.

Actually, wait. If she is referring to cell phone apps as games, then I will buy that 94% of all girls under the age of 18 are gamers, like she said.

@WMcPete

Facebook games and mobile phone games are games. She simply says games, not First Person Shooters.

@gatotsu911

So an entire book she wrote and got published she should just explain? For one, not only is it difficult to do that in 3 or so minutes while still being comically jabbed at by Colbert, but it's also stupid because then you'd have no reason to buy the book.

I trust that the statistics are true, but the schema you use when actually reading those statistics may be a bit off base. She never clarified how strict the definition of gaming is so it could include very casual games like you find on app stores or on the web. Games may even include things like Wii Fit or something.

Also, while she may really mean it, I think the point about utilizing in game what you do in real life is more or less certain generalized skills, such as logic or communication, depending on the game you play.

I don't like her comments about time wasting and productivity, because there are still a decent number of human beings who don't get shit done because of video games, or could get more shit done wasting time on video games. Maybe my concession to that, however, is that the amount of hours she wanted the world to play was based off of a huge number of people playing for like, 1 hour, so I'm sure she understands that you can waste time, but I hope she actually makes a point about that.

If I'm going to pay attention by something supposedly backed up by science and proper statistics, however, I'd prefer a more academic/scientific-minded book, I'm sure her book is catered more to convince people rationally that games are not a loser's hobby.

@gatotsu911

In her book, I believe she specifies that co-op games being played in person with others are the most beneficial, and I think you'd agree that these are generally a better atmosphere than the typical XBL matchup.

@RageOverdose
Um, yes, she should explain her book. I watch Colbert every day, and plenty of his guests have managed to effectively summarize the content of their books over the course of his interview segment in such a way that they are actually communicating something of substance while still inviting viewers to buy the book. In this interview McGonigal communicated nothing of substance, merely out-of-context statistics and unsubstantiated (and unjustified!) claims.

@Frank the tank
that's actually a fact

@Frank the tank Learn to read the ESA reports. Her stats were all spot on.

@NinjaJesus

And then you can go out on the street and kill a prettier hooker than you might have without video games!

@WMcPete why would you be embarrassed after listening to her?... cause she said a lot of people play video games?

@jameshauler

gaming is one of the most productive pasttimes? She said it, not me. I like playing video games and all, but the increase in time she thinks the world should dedicate to gaming sounds a little weird to me. Listening to her from a non gaming perspective would make her and her ideas seem a little batty, I think.

@WMcPete Also, one of her main examples of positive game-related activities was a "game that helps cure cancer". I'm pretty sure she's talking about Folding@home. Which isn't so much a game as it is a program that happens to run on a PS3. So I'm fairly certain most of her facts are pretty skewed.

@Arturis Indeed, she is a fascinating woman. Read a bunch of stuff about her on rockpapershotgun.com and I had no idea she was going to be at PAX East! Hopefully I can catch her keynote. :)

As did I.

Can't understand why some didn't her interview at least informative.

@ArchiGamer

I thought the interview was fine, but I always get shifty-bad-guy eyes when people like her laud gaming and use examples like the game that "helps cure cancer," or other experimental and scientifically funded games.

It always feels like justifying a Playboy subscription with the articles.

@DokiDokiBawanga

You must not be playing games about outgoing enough characters.

@DokiDokiBawanga

There's plenty of video game heroes who have never said a single word throughout their entire career.

@DokiDokiBawanga
Judging by your avatar, I have to assuem you play a lot of JRPGs, now you can't expect a group of varied miscreants to fall out of the sky for you to form a group that will undergo many trials that will test your friendship in a very long and memorable journey to take down the bad guys ruling Russia.

I put Russia because I know your Russian. istalku

@FiXxXeRJL No chievos, but I'm pretty sure Folding@home has leaderboards for like, Most Proteins Folded or something...

@Scyne

Let me correct my self, I dont mean that your thinking is WRONG either. Just that games are designed for escapism, not to look at the real world.

If they get pointed at real world problems, we could crowd source a taskforce to fix it.