Game designer Jane McGonigal, who was helped by games to cope with serious trauma, talks about how they can make the world as a whole and each of us better.

“What is our life? A game!" The words from Herman's aria in "The Queen of Spades" reflect the real state of affairs today: we live in a world teeming with games and gamers.

Game developers know better than anyone how to get people to do their best and how to reward hard work . They know how to enable interaction and collaboration on once unimaginable scales. They're also constantly inventing new ways to motivate players to take on increasingly challenging tasks, spending more time doing so and playing in much larger groups.

These essential 21st century skills can help us find new options for deeper and long-term impact on the environment. Game design is not just a technology profession, but a 21st century way of thinking and leading. And gameplay is not just fun, but a 21st-century way of working together to solve real problems - from hunger and poverty to climate change and global conflicts.

After reading this book, you will become true game experts . You'll be ready to create a vibrant, alternative reality for yourself and your family, your school, your company, your neighborhood, or any other community you care about, for a cause you love, for an entire industry, or for an entirely new movement.