We humans love to play! Through play, we learn to interact with the world around us. Unfortunately, as we mature, stressful situations and conventions obstruct a mental state of play. – There is little to no room for mistakes (ironically leading to more of them) and play is often considered inappropriate, unprofessional or belonging to the world of children. Luckily, games are here to reanimate our playful side, stimulating our learning and performing abilities. Whether physical or digital, from only a few rules, endless worlds and possibilities for play can emerge.

‘Applied’ or ‘serious’ games especially can be designed to activate and intrinsically motivate people to reach specific goals. They provide safe, stimulating environments to engage in learning skills or enhancing knowledge needed in real life. We get to experiment freely and learn from making mistakes, with no unwanted repercussions. If designed well, a game will seamlessly guide the player through the process of achieving their goal, dissecting it in enjoyable activities and challenges. This way, playing a game can bring about meaningful progress in life. 

As for entertainment games, they are a form of art and sport, for yourself or to share with others. They are played and lived intensely, diverging into unique experiences based on the player’s actions. The medium of games, like no other, is one through which you can experience anything firsthand. Things that would not be feasible or reasonable in ‘real’ life. Games create, cultivate and knead our culture. They allow you to live a thousand lives!  

In short, games activate our mental state of play and provide contexts and goals for our playtime. This allows for memorable, valuable, applicable and otherwise unattainable life experiences. Channeling your playing goals, the things you like doing, to align with your wants and needs is the most effective way to satisfy them! – Games help achieve this. They are a key to intrinsic motivation. 

All that remains is to gamify everything for a better, more fun world.

Keep on playing!