Chapter Eighty-Three: Reality Is Broken

So the full title of this non-fiction book by game developer Jane McGonigal is Reality Is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change the World.  This is another book that my grandmother purchased for me, and I would not have picked it up on my own, probably.  But it turned out to be absolutely fascinating!  I highly recommend it, whether you play lots of games or whether, like me, you rarely play games.  McGonigal starts by defining what a game actually is; she focuses on computer and video games but makes it clear that more traditional games such as board games, card games, or sports.  Then she explores why people like games so much, claiming that it isn't just about escapism: often games challenge us and reward us in ways that real life is not structured to.  Then she looks at how we can modify aspects of real life to be more gameful to increase engagement with the everyday world and to solve most any problem you can think up.  I'm not going to give any more detailed a summary than that, but I highly recommend you read this book if you want an interesting, thought-provoking, and highly-readable non-fiction book.