Playful Thinking Series

Why play is a productive, expressive way of being, a form of understanding, and a fundamental part of our well-being.

How uncertainty in games-from Super Mario Bros. to Rock/Paper/Scissors-engages players and shapes play experiences.

This is a renaissance moment for video games - in the variety of genres they represent, and the range of emotional territory they cover. But how do games create emotion? In How Games Move Us, Katherine Isbister takes the reader on a timely and novel exploration of the design techniques that evoke strong emotions for players. She counters arguments that games are creating a generation of isolated, emotionally numb, antisocial loners. Games, Isbister shows us, can actually play a powerful role in creating empathy and other strong, positive emotional experiences; they reveal these qualities over time, through the act of playing. She offers a nuanced, systematic examination of exactly how games can influence emotion and social connection, with examples - drawn from popular, indie, and art games - that unpack the gamer's experience.

An exploration of why we play video games despite the fact that we are almost certain to feel unhappy when we fail at them.