Jane McGonigal Play Quotations

We've been playing games since humanity had civilization - there is something primal about our desire and our ability to play games. It's so deep-seated that it can bypass latter-day cultural norms and biases.

If you make it a game, gamers will play it no matter what your motivation is in making it.

I'm not a fan of simulations. Where, 'Oh, we'll go play a simulation of world peace and figure out how to make peace' and then somehow magically that will get translated into the real world. No, that's not the kind of games that I make.

Over time, the games we play can change how we think and what we're capable of. And it's easy to maximize the benefits so the changes are positive.

There is so much more knowledge than most people realize about how to maximize the benefits of play and minimize the potential harms.

You can't play the same game every day for years. New games are key.

Every game we play activates our brain, and it's the same brain we have in real life as we have in the game.

When we play games, our brains respond differently to stress and obstacles. We're better able to control our attention and ignore distractions.