WhyGamesMatter

I wanted to do a quick follow-up on the story of To the Moon.  Specifically, I wanted to write about how much of a motivator this story was for me.

The patient in To the Moon had a less than perfect life, and the objective of the game is to explore his memories and try to re-create a more perfect life for him.  As one looks at the actual life story, it’s very easy to see one’s self having a similar life.  The character didn’t embrace his ambitions and grab hold of life.  Instead, he simply meandered through it and tried to get by.  Though he eventually got a different set of memories, they were artificially created, and not real.

I recently saw a TED talk from Kelly McGonigal (the sister of Jane McGonigal) about the benefits of stress.  Check it out:

I brought up that video because of the point that she makes at the end: seeking goal fulfillment is better than seeking to minimize discomfort.  This is true even if the goal fulfillment creates a life of added stress.

To the Moon serves as a reminder: if your life isn’t going the way you want, you have to take the actions necessary to obtain your goals.  The decision to guide your life rather than coast through it is not one that you make on one specific occasion.  It is a decision that you make every day, and with every action.  If you want a different life, get out there and create the life that you want! You won’t be able to rely on some machine to change your memories; you have to make the changes yourself in the real world.

In the coming months, there may be some announcements on this site of changes in my life.  When those changes happen, I want to look back and remember that To the Moon was the catalyst.

And that is why games matter!

One more thing: The image shown today is the latest piece that I am presenting at GenCon during the coming weekend.  I attend GenCon each year, and I encourage you to come by the booth.