QuoteProject
We've been playing games since humanity had civilization - there is something primal about our desire and our ability to play games. It's so deep-seated that it can bypass latter-day cultural norms and biases.
Jane Mcgonigal
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the fundamental human inclination to engage in games, suggesting it's an intrinsic part of our nature beyond societal influences.

Jane McGonigal suggests that the human desire to play games is rooted deeply in our civilization and exists independently of cultural norms or biases that may emerge over time. This primal urge reflects our inherent nature and ability to find joy and meaning in play, which transcends the complexities of modern society.

Themes

GamesHuman NatureCivilizationPlayCulture

In practice

Example use cases

Using this quote in a speech about the importance of play in educational settings.

More from Jane Mcgonigal

I remember the first year at the Game Developers Conference I wore these big red giant knee-high boots. Nobody cared. You can wear anything you love, because that's what you do in games. You make yourself who you want to be.
Jane McgonigalRead
Urgent optimism is the desire to act immediately to tackle an obstacle, combined with the belief that we have a reasonable hope of success.
Jane McgonigalRead
When you strip away the genre differences and the technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.
Jane McgonigalRead
It seems like what happens when we play games is that we go into a psychological state called eustress, or positive stress. It's basically the same as negative stress in the sense that we get our adrenaline up, you know, our breathing rate quickens, our pulse quickens.
Jane McgonigalRead
A traumatic event doesn't doom us to suffer indefinitely. Instead, we can use it as a springboard to unleash our best qualities and lead happier lives.
Jane McgonigalRead
The real world just doesn’t offer up as easily the carefully designed pleasures, the thrilling challenges, and the powerful social bonding afforded by virtual environments. Reality doesn’t motivate us as effectively. Reality isn’t engineered to maximize our potential. Reality wasn’t designed from the bottom up to make us happy.
Jane McgonigalRead

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