I encourage everyone to check out the videos of Jane Mcgonigal on her website entitled you found me  which can be accessed through a link under the list of interesting blogs that I follow section. She gives some very interesting talks about game design and how to apply those principles to one's everyday life.

Perhaps the most interesting comment she made was in a video delivered to the School of Life. In that video she talks about a concept called PERMA. PERMA is an acronym that stands for Positive Energy Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. In her talk, she proposes that these emotions, which according to scientists are what people need in order to flourish, are the same emotions we feel when we play games.

An interesting thought indeed that makes sense. I wonder if she would say that a person who loses a game feels the same emotions. I also wonder if this applies just to video games, or to sports games, word games, and other types of board games as well.

I wonder how we can design games to give people these positive emotions even if they lose? Perhaps the answer is in her book entitled Reality is Broken.

Share your thoughts on whether you believe in the power of games to help kids learn. Do you feel PERMA when you play games? For educators, do you find this to be an effective instructional method? Does it matter if they win or lose?