Kizmo

On Thursday morning I attended the keynote address by Jane McGonigal, Game Designer and Future Forecaster. The subject of her talk, game design and human happiness, combined two areas of life that are usually kept separate. Basically, she was asking us to look at game design and see where we can apply its concepts into the work we do. In doing so, we can, as designers, create happier, more positive experiences for people. Games, Jane said, provide “better instructions, better feedback, better emotions, better community” than real life, hence the 10 million or more players of World of Warcraft. Something to think about while developing your next project: how can we integrate these five aspects of games, and make the experience better, and more enjoyable for the people who have to use it?