23/04/2018
𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸: 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴
Games make us happy because they represent a difficult job that we choose ourselves, "says Jane McGonigal, author of The Reality in Reason. What makes us play games and why do more people become gamers? We try to understand.
Game = work
It turns out that almost nothing makes us happier than a good hard job. However, games are not considered hard work. In the end, we play in them, and we were taught to treat the game as entertainment, that is, as opposed to work. But there is nothing farther from the truth. In fact, as the lead psychology expert Brian Sutton-Smith said: "The opposite of the game is not work. This is depression."
According to clinical signs, in depression we suffer from pessimistic feeling of inadequacy and a dull absence of activity.
If we were to find the opposite of these two states, we would get something like optimistic feeling of one's own abilities and an inspiring burst of activity.
In clinical there is no term for referring to this positive state, but it is an ideal description of the emotional state that arises during the course of the game. The game is an opportunity with unflagging optimism to focus on what we can or what we learn and enjoy this activity.
The state of play is the antipode of depression.
Playing a good game, overcoming the optional obstacles, we are actively moving to the positive pole on the scale of emotions. Deep involvement in the game introduces our body into a state that allows generating any positive emotions and experiences. The game fully activates all the neurological and psychological systems underlying the formation of a sense of happiness: attention, the center of reward, the system of motivation, the centers of emotions and memory.
Full activation of emotions is the reason for a strong passion for computer and video games.
Concentrated, optimistic engagement as if by magic improves the ability to positively think, establish social bonds and develop their strong qualities. We actively bring the mind and body into a state in which we feel happier.
Work ≠ game
Now, if the hard work in the real world had the same effect! Alas, in everyday life, it often represents something that we do solely because we have to do it in order to make a living, achieve success, meet someone's expectations or just follow someone's instructions. Such work causes displeasure with us. It tires, takes time, which we could devote to friends and family members. There are too many reasons for criticism. We are afraid to fail and often do not see the result of our efforts, because of which we rarely enjoy the process.
Moreover, working in the real world is often not very complex. We go crazy with boredom. We feel completely unclaimed. It seems to us that we are not valued and we waste our lives. When we do not choose the hard work ourselves, in most cases it does not quite fit for us, it must be done at the wrong time and the wrong person.
Such work is not focused on the use of our strengths; we do not control the workflow; we do not have a clear idea of what exactly we are contributing to; and we never see how it affects the end result. The hard work, which somebody else requires of us, does not activate systems that allow us to experience an inner ascent, as the game does. Too often, it just does not absorb us, does not inspire optimism and does not give strength.
and work
How much happiness would be added to all of us if we could activate the mental and physical potential of hundreds of millions of people by selecting for them more suitable hard work. We could offer them fascinating individual missions and tasks that can be performed alone or together with friends or family members, anytime and anywhere. We could give them real-time reports on their successes so that they make themselves clear about the impact that the world has on us.
This is what the industry is doing today.
It satisfies our need for more pleasant hard work - and helps to choose it at the right time. In this regard, you can forget the old adage "Misha deal with idleness, live a century with fun." A good game and there is a hard job. It is the one that brings pleasure, and we can choose it ourselves.
