the Future
2022-03-24

Jane McGonigal || Playing Games with the Future

Today we welcome Jane McGonigal. She is a world-renowned game designer who challenges players to tackle real-world problems such as poverty, depression, and climate change through collaboration. Jane is also a future forecaster, serving as the current Director of Games Research & Development at the Institute for the Future. Her games and forecasting work have been featured in The New York Times, Wired, The Economist, CNN, NPR and more. As a two-time New York Times bestselling author, she has recently published her third book called Imaginable. 

In this episode, I talk to Jane McGonigal about the intersection of gaming and future forecasting. Jane asserts that games are not just for escapist entertainment; they could also be used to help prepare us for what’s to come. Imagining fictional simulations can inspire us to make present changes which can influence our personal and collective futures for the better. We also touch on the topics of creativity, psychotherapy, forecasting, hope, and tech. 

Website: janemcgonigal.com

Twitter: @avantgame

Topics

About the guest

the Future

Podcast Guest

Jane McGonigal is an American game designer, futurist, and author who serves as Director of Game Research and Development at the Institute for the Future. She received her PhD in performance studies from the University of California, Berkeley and wrote the New York Times bestsellers Reality Is Broken and SuperBetter.

Keep exploring

11 years of
human possibility

478 episodes exploring creativity, intelligence, well-being, and what it means to be fully human. The archive is yours to explore.

Browse All Episodes ← Back to Site