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| superbetter jane mcgonigal: SuperBetter Jane McGonigal, 2016-09-13 An innovative guide to living gamefully, based on the program that has already helped nearly half a million people achieve remarkable personal growth In 2009, internationally renowned game designer Jane McGonigal suffered a severe concussion. Unable to think clearly or work or even get out of bed, she became anxious and depressed, even suicidal. But rather than let herself sink further, she decided to get better by doing what she does best: she turned her recovery process into a resilience-building game. What started as a simple motivational exercise quickly became a set of rules for “post-traumatic growth” that she shared on her blog. These rules led to a digital game and a major research study with the National Institutes of Health. Today nearly half a million people have played SuperBetter to get stronger, happier, and healthier. But the life-changing ideas behind SuperBetter are much bigger than just one game. In this book, McGonigal reveals a decade’s worth of scientific research into the ways all games—including videogames, sports, and puzzles—change how we respond to stress, challenge, and pain. She explains how we can cultivate new powers of recovery and resilience in everyday life simply by adopting a more “gameful” mind-set. Being gameful means bringing the same psychological strengths we naturally display when we play games—such as optimism, creativity, courage, and determination—to real-world goals. Drawing on hundreds of studies, McGonigal shows that getting superbetter is as simple as tapping into the three core psychological strengths that games help you build: • Your ability to control your attention, and therefore your thoughts and feelings • Your power to turn anyone into a potential ally, and to strengthen your existing relationships • Your natural capacity to motivate yourself and super-charge your heroic qualities, like willpower, compassion, and determination SuperBetter contains nearly 100 playful challenges anyone can undertake in order to build these gameful strengths. It includes stories and data from people who have used the SuperBetter method to get stronger in the face of illness, injury, and other major setbacks, as well as to achieve goals like losing weight, running a marathon, and finding a new job. As inspiring as it is down to earth, and grounded in rigorous research, SuperBetter is a proven game plan for a better life. You’ll never say that something is “just a game” again. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Reality Is Broken Jane McGonigal, 2011-01-20 “McGonigal is a clear, methodical writer, and her ideas are well argued. Assertions are backed by countless psychological studies.” —The Boston Globe “Powerful and provocative . . . McGonigal makes a persuasive case that games have a lot to teach us about how to make our lives, and the world, better.” —San Jose Mercury News “Jane McGonigal's insights have the elegant, compact, deadly simplicity of plutonium, and the same explosive force.” —Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother A visionary game designer reveals how we can harness the power of games to boost global happiness. With 174 million gamers in the United States alone, we now live in a world where every generation will be a gamer generation. But why, Jane McGonigal asks, should games be used for escapist entertainment alone? In this groundbreaking book, she shows how we can leverage the power of games to fix what is wrong with the real world-from social problems like depression and obesity to global issues like poverty and climate change-and introduces us to cutting-edge games that are already changing the business, education, and nonprofit worlds. Written for gamers and non-gamers alike, Reality Is Broken shows that the future will belong to those who can understand, design, and play games. Jane McGonigal is also the author of SuperBetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The State of Play Daniel Goldberg, 2015-10-20 FEATURING: IAN BOGOST - LEIGH ALEXANDER - ZOE QUINN - ANITA SARKEESIAN & KATHERINE CROSS - IAN SHANAHAN - ANNA ANTHROPY - EVAN NARCISSE - HUSSEIN IBRAHIM - CARA ELLISON & BRENDAN KEOGH - DAN GOLDING - DAVID JOHNSTON - WILLIAM KNOBLAUCH - MERRITT KOPAS - OLA WIKANDER The State of Play is a call to consider the high stakes of video game culture and how our digital and real lives collide. Here, video games are not hobbies or pure recreation; they are vehicles for art, sex, and race and class politics. The sixteen contributors are entrenched—they are the video game creators themselves, media critics, and Internet celebrities. They share one thing: they are all players at heart, handpicked to form a superstar roster by Daniel Goldberg and Linus Larsson, the authors of the bestselling Minecraft: The Unlikely Tale of Markus Notch Persson and the Game that Changed Everything. The State of Play is essential reading for anyone interested in what may well be the defining form of cultural expression of our time. If you want to explain to anyone why videogames are worth caring about, this is a single volume primer on where we are, how we got here and where we're going next. In every way, this is the state of play. —Kieron Gillen, author of The Wicked + the Divine, co-founder of Rock Paper Shotgun |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Kingdom Hearts Character Files Square Enix, Disney, 2021-11-09 A beautiful oversized hardcover showcasing all of the characters you know and love from the hit game series Kingdom Hearts! Explore the Disney-filled world of Kingdom Hearts with this in depth look into the beloved characters from the most popular games in the series. In addition to highlighting each character's evolving appearance and unique costumes, this tome illuminates the entire cast's back stories and retells their adventures from across the beloved series. This volume offers unprecedented insights into the lore behind the games! Dark Horse Books, Square Enix, and Disney present Kingdom Hearts Character Files. Officially localized into English for the first time ever, this is a must-own item for any fan of Disney or the Kingdom Hearts series! |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Infinite Playground Bernard De Koven, 2022-06-21 This final work from a visionary game designer reveals how a surprising range of play-based experiences can unlock our imagination and help us capture the power of fun and delight. Bernard De Koven (1941-2018) was a pioneering designer of games and theorist of fun. He studied games long before the field of game studies existed. For De Koven, games could not be reduced to artifacts and rules; they were also about experiencing fun. His final book, The Infinite Playground, is about the power of the imagination: the imagination as a playground, a possibility space, and a gateway to wonder. De Koven guides the readers through a series of observations and techniques, interspersed with games. He begins with the fundamentals of play, and proceeds through the private imagination, the shared imagination, and imagining the world—observing, “the things we imagine can become the world.” Along the way, he reminisces about playing ping-pong with basketball great Bill Russell; begins the instructions for a game called Reception Line with “Mill around”; and introduces blathering games—Blather, Group Blather, Singing Blather, and The Blather Chorale—that allow the player's consciousness to meander freely. The Infinite Playground extends a play-centered invitation to experience the power and delight unlocked by imagination, offering a curriculum for playful learning. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Play Anything Ian Bogost, 2016-09-13 How filling life with play-whether soccer or lawn mowing, counting sheep or tossing Angry Birds -- forges a new path for creativity and joy in our impatient age Life is boring: filled with meetings and traffic, errands and emails. Nothing we'd ever call fun. But what if we've gotten fun wrong? In Play Anything, visionary game designer and philosopher Ian Bogost shows how we can overcome our daily anxiety; transforming the boring, ordinary world around us into one of endless, playful possibilities. The key to this playful mindset lies in discovering the secret truth of fun and games. Play Anything, reveals that games appeal to us not because they are fun, but because they set limitations. Soccer wouldn't be soccer if it wasn't composed of two teams of eleven players using only their feet, heads, and torsos to get a ball into a goal; Tetris wouldn't be Tetris without falling pieces in characteristic shapes. Such rules seem needless, arbitrary, and difficult. Yet it is the limitations that make games enjoyable, just like it's the hard things in life that give it meaning. Play is what happens when we accept these limitations, narrow our focus, and, consequently, have fun. Which is also how to live a good life. Manipulating a soccer ball into a goal is no different than treating ordinary circumstances- like grocery shopping, lawn mowing, and making PowerPoints-as sources for meaning and joy. We can play anything by filling our days with attention and discipline, devotion and love for the world as it really is, beyond our desires and fears. Ranging from Internet culture to moral philosophy, ancient poetry to modern consumerism, Bogost shows us how today's chaotic world can only be tamed-and enjoyed-when we first impose boundaries on ourselves. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: All Joy and No Fun Jennifer Senior, 2014-01-28 Thousands of books have examined the effects of parents on their children. In All Joy and No Fun, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior now asks: what are the effects of children on their parents? In All Joy and No Fun, award-winning journalist Jennifer Senior tries to tackle this question, isolating and analyzing the many ways in which children reshape their parents' lives, whether it's their marriages, their jobs, their habits, their hobbies, their friendships, or their internal senses of self. She argues that changes in the last half century have radically altered the roles of today's mothers and fathers, making their mandates at once more complex and far less clear. Recruiting from a wide variety of sources—in history, sociology, economics, psychology, philosophy, and anthropology—she dissects both the timeless strains of parenting and the ones that are brand new, and then brings her research to life in the homes of ordinary parents around the country. The result is an unforgettable series of family portraits, starting with parents of young children and progressing to parents of teens. Through lively and accessible storytelling, Senior follows these mothers and fathers as they wrestle with some of parenthood's deepest vexations—and luxuriate in some of its finest rewards. Meticulously researched yet imbued with emotional intelligence, All Joy and No Fun makes us reconsider some of our culture's most basic beliefs about parenthood, all while illuminating the profound ways children deepen and add purpose to our lives. By focusing on parenthood, rather than parenting, the book is original and essential reading for mothers and fathers of today—and tomorrow. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: How Games Move Us Katherine Isbister, 2016-03-04 An engaging examination of how video game design creates strong and positive emotional experiences for players—with examples from Journey, Train, Little Big Planet, and more. This is a renaissance moment for video games—in the variety of genres they represent, and the range of emotional territory they cover. But how do games create emotion? In How Games Move Us, Katherine Isbister takes the reader on a timely and novel exploration of the design techniques that evoke strong emotions for players. She counters arguments that games are creating a generation of isolated, emotionally numb, antisocial loners. Games can actually play a powerful role in creating empathy and other strong, positive emotional experiences; they reveal these qualities over time, through the act of playing. She offers a nuanced, systematic examination of exactly how games can influence emotion and social connection, with examples—drawn from popular, indie, and art games—that unpack the gamer’s experience. Isbister describes choice and flow, two qualities that distinguish games from other media, and explains how game developers build upon these qualities using avatars, non-player characters, and character customization, in both solo and social play. She shows how designers use physical movement to enhance players’ emotional experience, and examines long-distance networked play. She illustrates the use of these design methods with examples that range from Sony’s Little Big Planet to the much-praised indie game Journey to art games like Brenda Romero’s Train. Isbister’s analysis shows us a new way to think about games, helping us appreciate them as an innovative and powerful medium for doing what film, literature, and other creative media do: helping us to understand ourselves and what it means to be human. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Pac-Man: Birth of an Icon Arjan Terpstra, Tim Lapetino, 2021-11-09 This is a gorgeous, hardcover retrospective, the first-ever history of PAC-MAN. Full of historical imagery, concept designs, marketing photos and more, the book examines the game’s design philosophy and origins through the artists, designers, developers, and other creative teams who brought PAC-MAN to life. This new non-fiction book will journey from creator Toru Iwatani's pizza slice inspiration to the game’s incredible success in arcades and beyond. The book also dives into PAC-MAN’s unprecedented impact on pop culture, with more than 40 new interviews from key players around the world. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Power Play Asi Burak, Laura Parker, 2017-01-31 Part 1. Not playing around anymore -- Part 2. From Jeddah to Nairobi -- Part 3. From the lab to the screen -- Part 4. The tools of a new generation. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Enough John C. Bogle, 2008-11-17 John Bogle puts our obsession with financial success in perspective Throughout his legendary career, John C. Bogle-founder of the Vanguard Mutual Fund Group and creator of the first index mutual fund-has helped investors build wealth the right way and led a tireless campaign to restore common sense to the investment world. Along the way, he's seen how destructive an obsession with financial success can be. Now, with Enough., he puts this dilemma in perspective. Inspired in large measure by the hundreds of lectures Bogle has delivered to professional groups and college students in recent years, Enough. seeks, paraphrasing Kurt Vonnegut, to poison our minds with a little humanity. Page by page, Bogle thoughtfully considers what enough actually means as it relates to money, business, and life. Reveals Bogle's unparalleled insights on money and what we should consider as the true treasures in our lives Details the values we should emulate in our business and professional callings Contains thought-provoking life lessons regarding our individual roles in society Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this unique book examines what it truly means to have enough in world increasingly focused on status and score-keeping. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Engaged Amy Bucher, 2020-03-03 Behavior change design creates entrancing—and effective—products and experiences. Whether you've studied psychology or are new to the field, you can incorporate behavior change principles into your designs to help people achieve meaningful goals, learn and grow, and connect with one another. Engaged offers practical tips for design professionals to apply the psychology of engagement to their work. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Stretch for Change Gustavo Razzetti, 2017-07 A critical read for any leader to understand our changing times. ― Charles Adler, founder, Kickstarter. Discover how to thrive in an unpredictable world. Turn adaptability into a competitive advantage. An approach to innovation that challenges traditional change management theories with down-to-earth lessons, tips and actionable exercises. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Tornado Brain Cat Patrick, 2021-04-13 In this heartfelt and powerfully affecting coming of age story, a neurodivergent 7th grader is determined to find her missing best friend before it's too late. Now in paperback. Things never seem to go as easily for thirteen-year-old Frankie as they do for her sister, Tess. Unlike Tess, Frankie is neurodivergent. In her case, that means she can't stand to be touched, loud noises bother her, she's easily distracted, she hates changes in her routine, and she has to go see a therapist while other kids get to hang out at the beach. It also means Frankie has trouble making friends. She did have one--Colette--but they're not friends anymore. It's complicated. Then, just weeks before the end of seventh grade, Colette unexpectedly shows up at Frankie's door. The next morning, Colette vanishes. Now, after losing Colette yet again, Frankie's convinced that her former best friend left clues behind that only she can decipher, so she persuades her reluctant sister to help her unravel the mystery of Colette's disappearance before it's too late. A powerful story of friendship, sisters, and forgiveness, Tornado Brain is an achingly honest portrait of a young girl trying to find space to be herself. Inspired by her own neurodiverse child, Cat Patrick writes with authenticity and sincerity in her depiction of Frankie in what is ultimately a love letter to neurodiverse children everywhere. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Drawing Basics and Video Game Art Chris Solarski, 2012-09-18 This book supports my own 30-year crusade to demonstrate that games are an art form that undeniably rivals traditional arts. It gives detailed explanations of game art techniques and their importance, while also highlighting their dependence on artistic aspects of game design and programming.” — John Romero, co-founder of id Software and CEO of Loot Drop, Inc. Solarski’s methodology here is to show us the artistic techniques that every artist should know, and then he transposes them to the realm of video games to show how they should be used to create a far more artful gaming experience ... if I were an artist planning to do video game work, I’d have a copy of this on my shelf. — Marc Mason, Comics Waiting Room Video games are not a revolution in art history, but an evolution. Whether the medium is paper or canvas—or a computer screen—the artist’s challenge is to make something without depth seem like a window into a living, breathing world. Video game art is no different. Drawing Basics and Video Game Art is first to examine the connections between classical art and video games, enabling developers to create more expressive and varied emotional experiences in games. Artist game designer Chris Solarski gives readers a comprehensive introduction to basic and advanced drawing and design skills—light, value, color, anatomy, concept development—as well as detailed instruction for using these methods to design complex characters, worlds, and gameplay experiences. Artwork by the likes of Michelangelo, Titian, and Rubens are studied alongside AAA games like BioShock, Journey, the Mario series, and Portal 2, to demonstrate perpetual theories of depth, composition, movement, artistic anatomy, and expression. Although Drawing Basics and Video Game Art is primarily a practical reference for artists and designers working in the video games industry, it’s equally accessible for those interested to learn about gaming’s future, and potential as an artistic medium. Also available as an eBook |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Marvel's Avengers The Art of the Game Paul Davies, 2020-09-04 Delve into the world of Marvel's Avengers in this extraordinary collection of art. Packed with concept art, final designs, storyboards, and artist commentary. Assemble your team of Earth's Mightiest Heroes, embrace your powers, and live your Super Hero dreams. In a future with Super Heroes outlawed and the Avengers disbanded, a young Kamala Khan must reassemble the Avengers to stop AIM. Marvel's Avengers is an epic, action-adventure journey with new Heroes and new narrative delivered on an on-going basis, for the definitive Avengers gaming experience. Marvel's Avengers: The Art of the Game features intimate studies of the Avengers, their designs, outfits, gear, and abilities, plus a detailed look at the different environments and missions in the game. Unmasking the artistry behind the hotly anticipated videogame, this showpiece hardback book contains exclusive concept sketches, character art, storyboards, and fully rendered scenes alongside fascinating insights into the creative process from the talented creators of the game. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Superbetter Jane McGonigal, 2016-01-25 A revolutionary new self-help book by top flight game designer Jane McGonigal. After suffering a brain injury, Jane McGonigal came up with a game to help aid her recovery and battle the ensuing depression she experienced. Half a million people have now played this game to astonishing results: depression gone in 6 weeks in some cases and even terminal cancer patients reporting that playing the game gives them a sense of control over their own health. The book shows readers how to use these techniques to find strength and create positivity: readers can look to their own 'power-ups' which are little things they can do to feel better and tackle the hurdles in their own lives. This book provides simple step-by-step ideas that can be carried out in day-to-day life, helping you transform your life with a new flexible and reenergised mindset. In this book McGonigal uses her own story and those of others to expertly demonstrate how simple changes can result in dramatic life-affirming effects. And what's more, she tells you how you yourself can lead a more gameful life. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: A Very Human Ending Jesse Bering, 2018-08-23 'I have yet to come away from reading [Bering's] work and not feel considerably better informed than I was minutes before' (Forbes) __________________ This penetrating analysis aims to demystify a subject that knows no cultural or demographic boundaries. Why do people want to kill themselves? Despite the prevalence of suicide in the developed world, it's a question most of us fail to ask. On hearing news of a suicide we are devastated, but overwhelmingly we feel disbelief. In A Very Human Ending, research psychologist Jesse Bering lifts the lid on this taboo subject, examining the suicidal mindset from the inside out to reveal the subtle tricks the mind can play when we're easy emotional prey. In raising challenging questions Bering tests our contradictory superstitions about the act itself. Combining cutting-edge research with investigative journalism and first-person testimony, Bering also addresses the history of suicide and its evolutionary inheritance to offer a personal, accessible, yet scientifically sound examination of why we are the only species on earth that deliberately ends its own life. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Truth About Style Stacy London, 2012-10-02 The New York Times bestselling style guide from the cohost of What Not to Wear It’s clear why Women’s Wear Daily hails Stacy London as “the Dr. Phil of fashion.” Since 2002, she’s transformed hundreds of guests on TLC’s hit show What Not to Wear. But London has more than just impeccable taste. She has a gift for seeing the core emotional issues behind a disastrous wardrobe. By sharing her own struggle with self-esteem, London illustrates how style develops confidence. Including invaluable fashion tips, advice, and a revelatory makeover section, The Truth About Style is for London’s legion of fans—and everyone who longs to enhance and celebrate the body she has. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: SuperBetter Jane McGonigal, 2015 A renowned game designer describes how she recovered from a debilitating concussion by turning her therapeutic process into a digital game that became the subject of a major NIH research study. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Game Believes in You Greg Toppo, 2015-04-21 What if schools, from the wealthiest suburban nursery school to the grittiest urban high school, thrummed with the sounds of deep immersion? More and more people believe that can happen - with the aid of video games. Greg Toppo's The Game Believes in You presents the story of a small group of visionaries who, for the past 40 years, have been pushing to get game controllers into the hands of learners. Among the game revolutionaries you'll meet in this book: *A game designer at the University of Southern California leading a team to design a video-game version of Thoreau's Walden Pond. *A young neuroscientist and game designer whose research on Math Without Words is revolutionizing how the subject is taught, especially to students with limited English abilities. *A Virginia Tech music instructor who is leading a group of high school-aged boys through the creation of an original opera staged totally in the online game Minecraft. Experts argue that games do truly believe in you. They focus, inspire and reassure people in ways that many teachers can't. Games give people a chance to learn at their own pace, take risks, cultivate deeper understanding, fail and want to try again—right away—and ultimately, succeed in ways that too often elude them in school. This book is sure to excite and inspire educators and parents, as well as provoke some passionate debate. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: For the Win, Revised and Updated Edition Kevin Werbach, Dan Hunter, 2020-11-10 In a revised and updated edition of For the Win, authors Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter argue that applying the lessons of gamification could change your business, the way you learn or teach, and even your life. This edition incorporates the most prominent research findings to provide a comprehensive gamification playbook for the real world. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Gamify Biran Burke, 2016-10-14 Organizations are facing an engagement crisis. Regardless if they are customers, employees, patients, students, citizens, stakeholders, organizations struggle to meaningfully engage their key constituent groups who have a precious and limited resource: their time. Not surprisingly, these stakeholders have developed deflector shields to protect themselves. Only a privileged few organizations are allowed to penetrate the shield, and even less will meaningfully engage. To penetrate the shield, and engage the audience, organizations need an edge. Gamification has emerged as a way to gain that edge and organizations are beginning to see it as a key tool in their digital engagement strategy. While gamification has tremendous potential to break through, most companies will get it wrong. Gartner predicts that by 2014, 80% of current gamified applications will fail to meet business objectives primarily due to poor design. As a trend, gamification is at the peak of the hype cycle; it has been oversold and it is broadly misunderstood. We are heading for the inevitable fall. Too many organizations have been led to believe that gamification is a magic elixir for indoctrinating the masses and manipulating them to do their bidding. These organizations are mistaking people for puppets, and these transparently cynical efforts are doomed to fail. This book goes beyond the hype and focuses on the 20% that are getting it right. We have spoken to hundreds of leaders in organizations around the world about their gamification strategies and we have seen some spectacular successes. The book examines some of these successes and identifies the common characteristics of these initiatives to define the solution space for success. It is a guide written for leaders of gamification initiatives to help them avoid the pitfalls and employ the best practices, to ensure they join the 20% that gets it right. Gamify shows gamification in action: as a powerful approach to engaging and motivating people to achieving their goals, while at the same time achieving organizational objectives. It can be used to motivate people to change behaviors, develop skills, and drive innovation. The sweet spot for gamification objectives is the space where the business objectives and player objectives are aligned. Like two sides of the same coin, player and business goals may outwardly appear different, but they are often the same thing, expressed different ways. The key to gamification success is to engage people on an emotional level and motivating them to achieve their goals. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Art of Game Design Jesse Schell, 2019-07-31 The Art of Game Design guides you through the design process step-by-step, helping you to develop new and innovative games that will be played again and again. It explains the fundamental principles of game design and demonstrates how tactics used in classic board, card and athletic games also work in top-quality video games. Good game design happens when you view your game from as many perspectives as possible, and award-winning author Jesse Schell presents over 100 sets of questions to ask yourself as you build, play and change your game until you finalise your design. This latest third edition includes examples from new VR and AR platforms as well as from modern games such as Uncharted 4 and The Last of Us, Free to Play games, hybrid games, transformational games, and more. Whatever your role in video game development an understanding of the principles of game design will make you better at what you do. For over 10 years this book has provided inspiration and guidance to budding and experienced game designers - helping to make better games faster. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) Felicia Day, 2016-04-19 The Internet isn't all cat videos. There's also Felicia Day -- violinist, filmmaker, Internet entrepreneur, compulsive gamer, hoagie specialist, and former lonely homeschooled girl who overcame her isolated childhood to become the ruler of a new world ... or at least semi-influential in the world of Internet Geeks and Goodreads book clubs. After growing up in the south where she was homeschooled for hippie reasons, Felicia moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming an actress and was immediately typecast as a crazy cat-lady secretary. But Felicia's misadventures in Hollywood led her to produce her own web series, own her own production company, and become an Internet star. Felicia's short-ish life and her rags-to-riches rise to Internet fame launched her career as one of the most influential creators in new media. Now Felicia's strange world is filled with thoughts on creativity, video games, and a dash of mild feminist activism -- just like her memoir. Felicia's story demonstrates that everyone should embrace what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now -- even for a digital misfit. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The New How [Paperback] Nilofer Merchant, 2014-04-15 What people are saying about The New How How are you going to get rid of your Air Sandwich if you don't even know what it is? Provocative and practical at the same time. --Seth Godin, author of Linchpin The New How is informative and provides exciting insights because the suggestions are practical and doable. Merchant gets the new reality--leadership fails not so much from flawed strategy as it does from failed processes of engagement from those responsible for implementing the strategy. In high-performing organizations, everyone acts like a leader, and they own the strategy and take actions to ensure its success. If you care about making a difference, read this book. --Barry Posner, author of The Leadership Challenge Collaboration is a powerful, competitive weapon: this book shows you how to use it to win markets. --Mark Interrante, VP Content Products, Yahoo, Inc. In a world in which the pace of change is ever quickening, collaboration, not control, is the route to a successful organization. This book tells you how to make your organization collaborative. And Nilofer Merchant's writing is a model of clarity. --Barry Schwartz, author of The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less Want to transform your organization into a collaborative enterprise? Nilofer Merchant provides insightful and practical strategies in The New How. --Padmasree Warrior, CTO, Cisco Systems, Inc. Merchant's book is a practical guide for the journey from strategy to implementation. The collaborative tools described here can help companies reach strategic success--and avoid pitfalls along the way. --Tom Kelley, General Manager, IDEO, and author of Ten Faces of Innovation Once in a generation, a book comes along that transforms the business landscape. For today's business leaders, The New How redefines the way companies create strategies and win new markets. Management gurus have always said people matter. But those same gurus still relegate strategy to an elite set of executives who focus on frameworks, long presentations, and hierarchical approaches. Business strategy typically has been planned by corporate chiefs in annual meetings, and then dictated to managers to carry out. The New How turns that notion on its head. After many years of working with Apple, Adobe, HP, and many other companies, Nilofer Merchant discovered the secret sauce: the best way to create a winning strategy is to include employees at all levels, helping to create strategy they not only believe in, but are also equipped to implement. In The New How, Nilofer shows today's corporate directors, executives, and managers how they can transform their traditional, top-down approach to strategy planning and execution into collaborative stratecution that has proven to be significantly more effective. Enhance performance and outcomes by deflating the air sandwich between executives in the boardroom and employees Recognize that strategy and execution are thoroughly intertwined Understand how successful strategy is founded in effective idea selection-a pile of good ideas doesn't necessarily build good strategy Create company strategy and link it to targeted execution, using the practical models and techniques provided |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Finite and Infinite Games James Carse, 2011-10-11 “There are at least two kinds of games,” states James P. Carse as he begins this extraordinary book. “One could be called finite; the other infinite. A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.” Finite games are the familiar contests of everyday life; they are played in order to be won, which is when they end. But infinite games are more mysterious. Their object is not winning, but ensuring the continuation of play. The rules may change, the boundaries may change, even the participants may change—as long as the game is never allowed to come to an end. What are infinite games? How do they affect the ways we play our finite games? What are we doing when we play—finitely or infinitely? And how can infinite games affect the ways in which we live our lives? Carse explores these questions with stunning elegance, teasing out of his distinctions a universe of observation and insight, noting where and why and how we play, finitely and infinitely. He surveys our world—from the finite games of the playing field and playing board to the infinite games found in culture and religion—leaving all we think we know illuminated and transformed. Along the way, Carse finds new ways of understanding everything, from how an actress portrays a role to how we engage in sex, from the nature of evil to the nature of science. Finite games, he shows, may offer wealth and status, power and glory, but infinite games offer something far more subtle and far grander. Carse has written a book rich in insight and aphorism. Already an international literary event, Finite and Infinite Games is certain to be argued about and celebrated for years to come. Reading it is the first step in learning to play the infinite game. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Yoga for Pain Relief Kelly McGonigal, 2009-12-02 It's no secret that yoga increases muscular flexibility and strength, but you may not know that yoga is a proven treatment for back pain, knee pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and other chronic pain conditions. Yoga also helps to ease the stress, anxiety, and depression that can create and reinforce pain, making you feel more comfortable in both your mind and your body. Written by a yoga instructor and former chronic pain sufferer, Yoga for Pain Relief is packed with gentle postures and practical strategies for ending pain. This complete mind-body tool kit for healing also includes deep relaxation practices drawn from the yogic tradition and psychological techniques for helping you make peace with your body and dissolve pain. As the ancient practice of yoga releases the hold that chronic pain has over your life, you will begin to feel more like yourself again. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Art of Apex Legends Respawn Entertainment, 2022-01-11 An oversized hardcover volume cataloging art and developer commentary on Apex Legends, the hit competitive first-person shooter. The next evolution of battle royale has arrived, and it can now be enjoyed in more detail than ever before. Pore over the finest features of unique legendary skins, marvel at the deadly intricacies of every dynamic weapon, explore each nook and cranny of the game's battle-scarred arenas, and more! Whether you main Wraith or Mirage, are a hardcore aggressor or a fastidious shotcaller, or even if you're just a fan of gorgeous video game concept art and intimate creator commentary, The Art of Apex Legends is sure to thrill fans of any stripe! |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2 Steven L. Kent, 2021-08-24 The definitive behind-the-scenes history of video games’ explosion into the twenty-first century and the war for industry power “A zippy read through a truly deep research job. You won’t want to put this one down.”—Eddie Adlum, publisher, RePlay Magazine As video games evolve, only the fittest companies survive. Making a blockbuster once cost millions of dollars; now it can cost hundreds of millions, but with a $160 billion market worldwide, the biggest players are willing to bet the bank. Steven L. Kent has been playing video games since Pong and writing about the industry since the Nintendo Entertainment System. In volume 1 of The Ultimate History of Video Games, he chronicled the industry’s first thirty years. In volume 2, he narrates gaming’s entrance into the twenty-first century, as Nintendo, Sega, Sony, and Microsoft battle to capture the global market. The home console boom of the ’90s turned hobby companies like Nintendo and Sega into Hollywood-studio-sized business titans. But by the end of the decade, they would face new, more powerful competitors. In boardrooms on both sides of the Pacific, engineers and executives began, with enormous budgets and total secrecy, to plan the next evolution of home consoles. The PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube, and Sega Dreamcast all made radically different bets on what gamers would want. And then, to the shock of the world, Bill Gates announced the development of the one console to beat them all—even if Microsoft had to burn a few billion dollars to do it. In this book, you will learn about • the cutthroat environment at Microsoft as rival teams created console systems • the day the head of Sega of America told the creator of Sonic the Hedgehog to “f**k off” • how “lateral thinking with withered technology” put Nintendo back on top • and much more! Gripping and comprehensive, The Ultimate History of Video Games: Volume 2 explores the origins of modern consoles and of the franchises—from Grand Theft Auto and Halo to Call of Duty and Guitar Hero—that would define gaming in the new millennium. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: A Playful Production Process Richard Lemarchand, 2021-10-12 How to achieve a happier and healthier game design process by connecting the creative aspects of game design with techniques for effective project management. This book teaches game designers, aspiring game developers, and game design students how to take a digital game project from start to finish—from conceptualizing and designing to building, playtesting, and iterating—while avoiding the uncontrolled overwork known among developers as “crunch.” Written by a legendary game designer, A Playful Production Process outlines a process that connects the creative aspects of game design with proven techniques for effective project management. The book outlines four project phases—ideation, preproduction, full production, and post-production—that give designers and developers the milestones they need to advance from the first glimmerings of an idea to a finished game. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Transcend Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD, 2020-04-07 A bold reimagining of Maslow's famous hierarchy of needs--and new insights for realizing your full potential and living your most creative, fulfilled, and connected life. When psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman first discovered Maslow's unfinished theory of transcendence, sprinkled throughout a cache of unpublished journals, lectures, and essays, he felt a deep resonance with his own work and life. In this groundbreaking book, Kaufman picks up where Maslow left off, unraveling the mysteries of his unfinished theory, and integrating these ideas with the latest research on attachment, connection, creativity, love, purpose and other building blocks of a life well lived. Kaufman's new hierarchy of needs provides a roadmap for finding purpose and fulfillment--not by striving for money, success, or happiness, but by becoming the best version of ourselves, or what Maslow called self-actualization. While self-actualization is often thought of as a purely individual pursuit, Maslow believed that the full realization of potential requires a merging between self and the world. We don't have to choose either self-development or self-sacrifice, but at the highest level of human potential we show a deep integration of both. Transcend reveals this level of human potential that connects us not only to our highest creative potential, but also to one another. With never-before-published insights and new research findings, along with exercises and opportunities to gain insight into your own unique personality, this empowering book is a manual for self-analysis and nurturing a deeper connection not only with our highest potential but also with the rest of humanity. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Actionable Gamification Yu-kai Chou, 2019-12-03 Learn all about implementing a good gamification design into your products, workplace, and lifestyle Key FeaturesExplore what makes a game fun and engagingGain insight into the Octalysis Framework and its applicationsDiscover the potential of the Core Drives of gamification through real-world scenariosBook Description Effective gamification is a combination of game design, game dynamics, user experience, and ROI-driving business implementations. This book explores the interplay between these disciplines and captures the core principles that contribute to a good gamification design. The book starts with an overview of the Octalysis Framework and the 8 Core Drives that can be used to build strategies around the various systems that make games engaging. As the book progresses, each chapter delves deep into a Core Drive, explaining its design and how it should be used. Finally, to apply all the concepts and techniques that you learn throughout, the book contains a brief showcase of using the Octalysis Framework to design a project experience from scratch. After reading this book, you'll have the knowledge and skills to enable the widespread adoption of good gamification and human-focused design in all types of industries. What you will learnDiscover ways to use gamification techniques in real-world situationsDesign fun, engaging, and rewarding experiences with OctalysisUnderstand what gamification means and how to categorize itLeverage the power of different Core Drives in your applicationsExplore how Left Brain and Right Brain Core Drives differ in motivation and design methodologiesExamine the fascinating intricacies of White Hat and Black Hat Core DrivesWho this book is for Anyone who wants to implement gamification principles and techniques into their products, workplace, and lifestyle will find this book useful. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: FF DOT: The Pixel Art of Final Fantasy Square Enix, 2022-08-16 A hardcover volume that showcases the intriguing evolution of pixel art from the Final Fantasy series! Containing detailed sprite sheets that showcase the pixel composition of Final Fantasy's beloved characters, maps of Final Fantasy's most popular highlighting tools used by the developers, and a special interview with Kazuko Shibuya, the character pixel artist for the Final Fantasy series, FF Dot is a one of a kind product that immerses readers into an iconic aspect of the Final Fantasy experience. Dark Horse Books is proud to collaborate with Square Enix to bring fans FF Dot: The Pixel Art of Final Fantasy, translated into English for the first time. This localization of the original Japanese publication holds nearly 300 pages of colorful pixel art, and is an invaluable addition to any Final Fantasy fan's collection. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Multiplayer Classroom Lee Sheldon, 2020 Go beyond gamification's badges and leaderboards with the new edition of the book, first published in 2011, that helped transform education. Going far beyond the first edition of The Multiplayer Classroom, forthrightly examining what worked and what didn't over years of development, here are the tools to design any structured learning experience as a game to engage your students, raise their grades, and ensure their attendance. Suitable for use in the classroom or the boardroom, this book features a reader-friendly style that introduces game concepts and vocabulary in a logical way. Also included are case studies, both past and present, from others teaching in their own multiplayer classrooms around the world. You don't need any experience making games or even playing games to use this book. You don't even need a computer. Yet, you will join many hundreds of educators who have learned how to create multiplayer games for any age on any subject. Lee Sheldon began his writing career in television as a writer-producer, eventually writing more than 200 shows ranging from Charlie's Angels (writer) to Edge of Night (head writer) to Star Trek: The Next Generation (writer-producer). Having written and designed more than 40 commercial and applied video games, Lee spearheaded the first full writing for games concentration in North America at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the second writing concentration at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he is now a professor of practice. Lee is a regular lecturer and consultant on game design and writing in the United States and abroad. His most recent commercial game, the award-winning The Lion's Song, is currently on Steam. |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Superhero Therapy Janina Scarlet, 2016-11-29 |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Rob Delaney Rob Delaney, 2014-12-02 From a Deadpool 2 fan favorite comes a “hilarious, raw” (Rolling Stone) memoir about love, sex, parenthood, work, substance abuse, and everything else that makes life wonderful and/or horrible. Updated with new material! Rob Delaney is a comedy superstar. But if you’re ever watched him steal scenes as Peter in Deadpool 2, binged his streaming series Catastrophe, encountered his raunchy and mischievous Twitter presence, or witnessed the hilarious and painful sharing he does in his stand-up, you already know that. In his first book, he traces his journey from middle-class theater geek to public menace to devoted family man and passionately engaged model citizen—from his youthful obsession (and pen pal relationship) with heavy metal band Danzig and an episode of drunken bungee jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, to his court-ordered stint in rehab and the miracle of his son’s birth. All together, these essays make clear why it is he is so darn lovable—and so f#!%ing funny. Praise for Rob Delaney “Unlike some books by comics, Delaney’s volume offers a rich, deeply considered (and yes, funny) look at his life. . . . A great read by any standard, but even more so for including stories about needing (and failing) to find a bathroom while jogging.”—E! Online “One of the most hilarious bundles of words we have ever read.”—Vice “A book as funny, sincere, weird, wet, and wonderful as Rob Delaney himself.”—Jimmy Kimmel “Heart-wrenchingly true tales exuding self-effacing whimsy and smart-guy charm.”—Splitsider “Delaney has a knack for pinpointing what’s hilarious and sad about adolescent bed-wetting and his own abundant body hair, but somehow the darkest chapters [in this book] make you laugh hardest.”—Entertainment Weekly “Rob Delaney has done it again! Actually, this is his first book, so he has not ‘done it again.’ Actually, this book is so good, I doubt he will be able to do it again. He’s peaked.”—Judd Apatow “Rob’s transition from tweets to book is like a gold medal sprinter winning the marathon the next day. I am jealous and angry.”—Seth Meyers “WARNING: This book may cause involuntary seepage. Some funny, funny, funny, funny s*** from the most dangerous man on Twitter. The fact that he’s just as funny in long form makes me want to vomit with envy.”—Anthony Bourdain |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: The Art of Mass Effect: Andromeda Bioware, 2017-03-21 The award-winning Mass Effect series captured the renegade hearts and paragon souls of gamers everywhere with it's memorable characters, stunning visuals, and visceral combat! Now, journey to a new galaxy with Dark Horse's The Art of Mass Effect Andromeda- featuring never-before-seen art of the hotly anticipated game's characters, arsenal, locations, vehicles, and more! This deluxe hardcover is an essential addition to any gamer's collection! Exclusive never before seen concept art from the making of Mass Effect Andromeda! The comprehensive companion to the wildly anticipated Mass Effect Andromeda! |
| superbetter jane mcgonigal: Humbitious Amer Kaissi, 2022-01-10 Fortune favors the humble Arrogant. Charismatic. Narcissistic If you were to name traits that define strong leaders, these are some of the words that likely spring to mind. Conventional thinking would have us believe that it's those filled with hubris and free of self-doubt that make the best leaders. The evidence, however, tells quite a different story. In Humbitious, professional speaker, executive coach and distinguished Trinity University professor Amer Kaissi shatters the common myths about leadership being an ego-driven game. Drawing on extensive research, personal stories, and fascinating historical examples of leadership done right (and wrong), Kaissi reveals why the most effective, high-performing leaders aren't those with the biggest egos, but who possess humility, coupled with ambition and drive. Tracing triumphs (and missteps) of leaders from Napoleon Bonaparte to New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs to disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, soccer star Alex Morgan to Costco CEO Jim Sinegal, and others, Kaissi illuminates what true humility is-and what it isn't-and how to cultivate it within yourself and with others. As you gain insight into this critical leadership trait, you'll come to understand that humility requires ambition, courage, and fierce determination. Humility, you'll learn, isn't about false modesty; it's about being honest with yourself, and others, about your abilities and potential, so you can make a realistic plan for improvement. The unequivocal truth is that the successful narcissists that you either know or are working for right now are the exception to the rule. The highest performers are those who adopt and integrate humility into their relationships with others, with their organizations, and with themselves. Because fortune favors not simply the bold-but the humbitious. |
Getting SuperBetter, All The Time - Reddit
Playing SuperBetter helps build personal resilience: the ability to stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of difficult challenges.
LPT: Superbetter, the game that will improve your life. (Helps with ...
Jan 11, 2014 · LPT: Superbetter, the game that will improve your life. (Helps with depression, anxiety, weight loss, procrastination, etc) I found Superbetter by watching this TED talk. …
AskScience AMA Series: I'm Jane McGonigal, PhD, world …
AskScience AMA Series: I'm Jane McGonigal, PhD, world-renowned game researcher and inventor of SuperBetter, helping 1 mil+ people use game skills to recover from depression, …
SuperBetter! The game for gettin' better! : r/MadOver30 - Reddit
Feb 19, 2020 · SuperBetter! The game for gettin' better! Hi everyone, I'm wondering who out there has used SuperBetter. It's a game on the browser/phone that lets you pick something to work …
Does anyone do "SuperBetter?" : r/TryingForABaby - Reddit
Jun 8, 2020 · SuperBetter is a self-help "game" kind of like the apps Habitica or Do it Now: RPG To Do List. It uses gaming ideas like power-ups, allies, and quests to motivate you to get …
Quest 24: Develop a Battle Plan : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Dec 18, 2020 · Examples: To help you out, here are some responses from another SuperBetter player who successfully completed this quest. This is a 32-year-old teacher whose challenge …
Even more SuperBetter! : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Mar 7, 2023 · Playing SuperBetter helps build personal resilience: the ability to stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of difficult challenges.
SuperBetter? : r/getting_over_it - Reddit
Mar 6, 2018 · Is anyone still using SuperBetter, or have you used it before? What were your results? I picked up the book randomly; I'm a short way into part 2 and it's such a mixed bag …
Playing the Game by Using the Book : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Dec 19, 2023 · Getting back into SuperBetter online was a little more frustrating than I expected. I'm re-reading the book and using a notebook to track missions, quests, and power-ups.
Designing Quests : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Dec 28, 2020 · Going forward we will learn how to design quests for our own lives that are as fun and easy to follow as a video game. Remember, quests are committed actions. Every time you …
Getting SuperBetter, All The Time - Reddit
Playing SuperBetter helps build personal resilience: the ability to stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of difficult challenges.
LPT: Superbetter, the game that will improve your life. (Helps with ...
Jan 11, 2014 · LPT: Superbetter, the game that will improve your life. (Helps with depression, anxiety, weight loss, procrastination, etc) I found Superbetter by watching this TED talk. …
AskScience AMA Series: I'm Jane McGonigal, PhD, world …
AskScience AMA Series: I'm Jane McGonigal, PhD, world-renowned game researcher and inventor of SuperBetter, helping 1 mil+ people use game skills to recover from depression, …
SuperBetter! The game for gettin' better! : r/MadOver30 - Reddit
Feb 19, 2020 · SuperBetter! The game for gettin' better! Hi everyone, I'm wondering who out there has used SuperBetter. It's a game on the browser/phone that lets you pick something to work …
Does anyone do "SuperBetter?" : r/TryingForABaby - Reddit
Jun 8, 2020 · SuperBetter is a self-help "game" kind of like the apps Habitica or Do it Now: RPG To Do List. It uses gaming ideas like power-ups, allies, and quests to motivate you to get …
Quest 24: Develop a Battle Plan : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Dec 18, 2020 · Examples: To help you out, here are some responses from another SuperBetter player who successfully completed this quest. This is a 32-year-old teacher whose challenge is …
Even more SuperBetter! : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Mar 7, 2023 · Playing SuperBetter helps build personal resilience: the ability to stay strong, motivated, and optimistic even in the face of difficult challenges.
SuperBetter? : r/getting_over_it - Reddit
Mar 6, 2018 · Is anyone still using SuperBetter, or have you used it before? What were your results? I picked up the book randomly; I'm a short way into part 2 and it's such a mixed bag I'd …
Playing the Game by Using the Book : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Dec 19, 2023 · Getting back into SuperBetter online was a little more frustrating than I expected. I'm re-reading the book and using a notebook to track missions, quests, and power-ups.
Designing Quests : r/SuperBetter - Reddit
Dec 28, 2020 · Going forward we will learn how to design quests for our own lives that are as fun and easy to follow as a video game. Remember, quests are committed actions. Every time you …
