SuperBetter
The heart, soul, and extra-life of SuperBetter by Jane McGonigal is:
You are stronger than you know. You are surrounded by potential allies. You are the hero of your own story.
Jane weaves the narrative of her own post-concussion recovery story with scientifically proven benifits of living a gameful life in the inspiring SuperBetter. What does it mean to be gameful?
Being gameful means bringing the psychological strengths you naturally display when you play games - such as optimism, creativity, courage, and determination - to your life.
The book comprises three parts: the first explains, in scientific detail, the benefits of games; the second describes SuperBetter The Game, a framework for living life gamefully; the final part gives three example adventures that the reader can tackle right now.
I love that this book is actionable. Jane sprinkles quests - little asides that can and should be completed as you go - that give the reader the feeling of "levelling up" as he progresses through the book. When I came across the first quest I started to get nervous: I was reading the book on the train and I was afraind I would have to get up and do something embarassing in front of my fellow commuters. Fortunately I didn't but the book asks you to make a decision right then - are you playing?
If you want to quit something, anything, just solve a puzzle.
The reader cannot deny the power of games. Games have been shown to help with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Games can help you quit bad habits and even help with chronic pain. You can find social fulfillment through games with friends and family and even strangers. In fact, games help strengthen empathy:
Modeling reciprocity means showing other people that we care about them and that hey can trust us to offer help.
Reminding yourself that you are the hero of your own story build self-efficacy, the key to unlocking the doors that cage us in doubt, anxiety, procrastination, regret, and unhappiness. It helps us live a calm and connected life full of resiliencea and reward.
How do you do all this? Simply play games with a purpose. SuperBetter will help you do just that.
SuperBetter reminded me of one of my favorite books Ready Player One. It's as if I am a hero grunter. Except instead of leveling up to search for easter eggs to save the OASIS from corporate greed, I am leveling up to live a happy, healthy, productive life. Awesome.