The game that can give you 10 extra years of life | Jane McGonigal

Summary

In this inspiring talk, the speaker, a game designer, challenges the audience to increase their lifespan by 7.5 minutes through a set of simple quests designed to boost physical, mental, emotional, and social resilience. She shares her personal battle with a concussion and how turning her recovery into a game, 'SuperBetter', helped her heal and others facing serious challenges. The talk concludes with the idea that by building resilience, we can live longer, happier lives, free from common regrets.

Takeaways

• 🎮 The speaker aims to increase the life span of the audience by 7.5 minutes through the power of games.
• 🕵️‍♀️ The speaker's secret mission involves the audience figuring out how to spend their 'extra' 7.5 minutes in an unusual way.
• 🤔 The common skepticism about games being a waste of time is addressed with the speaker's personal TED Talk challenge to spend more time gaming.
• 🛑 The top five regrets of the dying, as reported by hospice workers, are shared to highlight areas where games can potentially fulfill human needs.
• 👨‍👧 Research suggests that playing games with family can strengthen real-life relationships.
• 👫 Social games help people stay in touch with friends and family, serving as powerful relationship-management tools.
• 😊 Clinical trials indicate that online games can be effective in treating clinical anxiety and depression, contributing to happiness.
• 🦸‍♂️ Avatars in games allow players to express their true selves and can influence real-life behavior towards being more courageous and ambitious.
• 💭 The speaker's personal struggle with a concussion led to the creation of a game to help with recovery, demonstrating the power of gamification in overcoming adversity.
• 🔑 The game 'SuperBetter' has been adopted by people worldwide to face various challenges, suggesting that games can foster post-traumatic growth.
• 💪 There are four types of resilience—physical, mental, emotional, and social—that can be built through daily activities, potentially leading to a longer life.
• 🤝 Engaging in simple activities like shaking hands or expressing gratitude can boost social resilience and overall well-being.

Q & A

What is the speaker's special mission for the talk?

The speaker's special mission is to increase the life span of every person in the room by seven and a half minutes, just by watching the talk.

What is the significance of the number +7.68245837 minutes mentioned in the script?

The number represents the additional life span, in minutes, that the speaker aims to gift to the audience if successful in her mission.

What is the speaker's profession and why is she discussing the topic of deathbed regrets?

The speaker is a game designer. She discusses deathbed regrets to highlight how games can help fulfill deep human cravings that are often left unfulfilled, as indicated by common regrets expressed by the dying.

According to the speaker, what are the top five regrets of the dying?

The top five regrets are: 1) Wishing they hadn't worked so hard, 2) Wishing they had stayed in touch with friends, 3) Wishing they had let themselves be happier, 4) Wishing they had the courage to express their true self, and 5) Wishing they had lived a life true to their dreams instead of others' expectations.

How does the speaker suggest games can help with the first top regret of the dying?

Games can help by promoting family bonding through shared playtime, as studies show that parents who play video games with their children have stronger real-life relationships with them.

What is the role of social games like FarmVille or Words With Friends in maintaining relationships?

Social games help people stay in daily contact with real-life friends and family, serving as powerful relationship-management tools and preventing social distance that might occur otherwise.

How did the speaker use a game to overcome her own struggle with a concussion?

The speaker created a role-playing recovery game called 'Jane the Concussion Slayer' to tackle her symptoms with more creativity, determination, and optimism, and to reach out to others for help.

What is the concept of 'post-traumatic growth' as mentioned in the script?

Post-traumatic growth refers to the phenomenon where individuals become stronger and happier after a traumatic event, experiencing changes in priorities, fearlessness in pursuing happiness, closer relationships, better self-understanding, and a new sense of meaning and purpose in life.

What are the four types of resilience that contribute to post-traumatic growth?

The four types of resilience are physical, mental, emotional, and social resilience, each of which can be built up through daily activities to enhance one's ability to experience post-traumatic growth.

How can the audience earn the promised seven and a half minutes of bonus life?

The audience can earn the bonus life by successfully completing the first four SuperBetter quests, which are simple activities designed to boost physical, mental, emotional, and social resilience.

What is the long-term impact of regularly boosting the four types of resilience mentioned in the script?

Regularly boosting these four types of resilience can lead to living up to 10 years longer than those who do not, based on more than 1,000 peer-reviewed scientific studies.