As I mentioned in my previous post, my class struggled with the notion of “play”, in reference to one of the 6 key aptitudes in Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind.  Not because we’re grown-ups now and have no time for fun, but the play he was referring were the more than five million ‘extreme’ gamers in the U.S. who play an average of 45 hours a week. (CRAZY!) And yes, I was screaming there! 

Check out these stats on Daniel Pink’s website about gaming and the benefits it shows:  Daniel Pink Archive’s Factoids of the Day:  Game Not Over.  It may seem silly to spending hours in front of a computer or television as an adult but it is a proven fact that some of the highest military services use gaming as a way to prepare and train their soldiers. If they are, maybe more companies should look to see how this tactic can be used to make their employees more efficient and beneficial?

To the stat on page 322 that states, “60% of all players report they have played for 10 continuous hours at one time…”  I say, subliminal messages must have played a role in that! 🙂 I have never played World of Warcraft or any other Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game (MMORPG) but this entertainment business must be doing something right.

In this video, one of the world’s top female gamers, Jane McGonigal, explains how increasing the time humans play to 21 billion hours a week by the end of the next decade can help save the world. We watched all 20 minutes of this in our last class and crazy enough, she does make some sense. None of which I can explain to you in my own words, so next time you need some entertainment over your lunch break, check it out and let me know what you think!