Wow – it’s been a decade since Jane McGonigal said we should aim to achieve 20 billion hours a week playing games by the year 2020. Jane is the inventor of SuperBetter.
Well, it’s 2020. We’re gaming 18.9 billion hours a week. Good job, world!
Together these talks have 15 million views on TED and YouTube. That’s A LOT of people interested in the idea that we can use the science of games to improve real lives and solve real problems facing society today.
Built In just released an excellent story about the science, mission and #TechForGood design principles that make SuperBetter a usual suspect on media lists of best apps for mental health & wellbeing.
Built In is a respected tech industry publisher and community builder. Their vision is to connect the world through a shared passion for tech and the human need for purpose. Built In was excited to share the SuperBetter case study as a source of ‘Tech for Good’ insights for their community of product designers.
The title is “How to Gamify Wellbeing Without Missing the Point.”
September 15th kicks off an amazing season for SuperBetter, and we want you to be a part of it! Jane will be touring the U.S. and Canada, connecting with SuperBetter fans and discussing her awesome new book.
You already know SuperBetter is a gameful way of living that can change your life, and now there’s a book that proves it. If you’re ready to get even stronger, happier, braver, and more resilient, then you don’t want to miss this!
SuperBetter creator Jane McGonigal’s book comes out in just a few weeks, and you can sign up today to be one of the first people to read it. Even cooler, Jane is offering some incredible prizes for a few lucky winners, including a private coaching session and custom secret identities.
Best of all, absolutely everybody who pre-orders SuperBetter gets VIP access to a Google hangout where Jane will answer your questions about anything and everything. To see all the awesome rewards and learn more about how to sign up to get them, click here!
Here’s oursand it’s just one of the many reasons why I love working at SuperBetter.
At SuperBetter, Resilience, play, and game fulness aren’t just concepts that we promote. They’re truths that we live as a business and as individuals. When communication turns strained, when the future looks dark and unknown, or when we’ve got to push through a crunch-time challenge, we return to the basics of Resilience.
We spread Social Resilience by giving hugs and sharing our gratitude for what each one of us does each day and by awarding each other Achievements in the game. We know that a dose of silliness can do wonders for social connection and creativity.
We tend to Emotional Resilience by expressing our needs, excitements, and concerns openly. We shift out of negative thinking and into positive thinking using Power-ups, gratitude, and realistic optimism. We laugh. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.
We activate Mental Resilience by practicing mindfulness, staying curious, and making our current challenge as fun as possible how can we turn this rough patch into an exciting challenge? How can we stay present with what’s happening rather than jumping to conclusions?
And we strengthen our Physical Resilience up by sharing healthy meals, challenging each other to Power-ups and Quests, and going on fun adventures together.
We do these things because Resilience isn’t something that we either have or we don’t it’s a practice. It’s made up of the little things we do each day that make us laugh, foster a sense of connection, activate positivity, and get our hearts going. Those little things add up to greater health, pleasure, strength and flexibility—which sounds pretty good to us.
What one little thing you do that makes you smile, laugh, feel good, or feel strong? Post it in the comments below then make it a Power-up in the game!
Want to convince your friends and family that playing video games actually does make you happier, healthier, and smarter?
Point them to this article out now in Forbes featuring Jane, SuperBetter, and the science behind why video games are good for us and play to your heart’s content!
This year a component of the Compassion Games: Survival of the Kindest challenge is a SuperBetter Scavenger Hunt. The Games will use the SuperBetter platform to suggest Quests and Power-ups to those who add superbetter@compassiongames.org as an Ally during this month-long event, running from September 21-October 21, 2012.
You’ll receive suggestions for Quests and Powers-ups to help you reach your personal Epic Win and also be a part of something larger. The Compassion Games seek to create a culture of compassion, kindness, and justice. Your participation will help them reach their Epic Win. Dare we say it’s a Win-Win situation?
We recently put out a press release about our new mobile app. You can see the whole thing here.
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SuperBetter Health Game Now Available in iTunes App Store
Top 5 US Health & Fitness Downloads in First Week
SAN FRANCISCO, Jul 3, 2012 — SuperBetter Labs announced today that SuperBetter, its first social online game, has launched on the iOS mobile platform. The app, now available in the iTunes app store, will be available for free for a short time. During its first week in the iTunes store, SuperBetter made the list of US Top 5 downloads for Health & Fitness apps. Widely recognized for its innovative approach to helping people lead “epic” lives (from general well being to recovery from illness and injury), the game was originally released online in public beta web format in March 2012. Development for the much anticipated mobile app began shortly afterwards due to overwhelming user requests.
“Our greatest challenges and triumphs don’t happen in front of a computer screen. They happen when we are out living in the world,” said General Manager John Solomon, on the launch. “We know that SuperBetter users will find the mobile format more convenient to use as they manage their daily lives, face challenges, track and share their progress and receive expert advice on the spot. We are excited that the public reaction has been so receptive in the first week of launch, and know this means great things for SuperBetter and its players moving forward.”
The mobile version of SuperBetter incorporates the core functionality of the online game, www.superbetter.com , and organizes it into a concise mobile experience designed for the active lives of its users. SuperBetter mobile encourages users to check-in daily for their Quests and new Power-Ups, while fighting their Bad Guys, and checking-in with Allies. The app also allows users to review their SuperBetter activity and achievements and post status updates to their profiles.
SuperBetter Labs’ mission is to design platforms that help people lead “epic lives.” The concept of an epic life is centered on developing strong social relationships, positive emotion, overcoming challenges, and creating a truer sense of purpose in the real world through the use of online game mechanics, gameful IT products and other tested methods of positive social interaction. SuperBetter is the first product of SuperBetter Labs, a social game platform designed to help players build personal resilience and achieve their health and wellness goals. More information on SuperBetter Labs can be found on the SuperBetter Labs web site, Facebook page and Twitter feed.
CONTACT: Cathie Bennett Warner 415-420-1573 cathie@superbetter.com
In this series of posts, Rowan, aka All-Star Courtney, gives players the inside scoop on embracing the playful nature of SuperBetter. She will discuss topics such as creating your secret identity, how to transform your daily activities into a roleplaying adventure, and crafting the story of your epic journey. Look for the next post in a couple weeks!
Rowan’s Introduction: The Fun of Being a Hero
Hi there, heroes! Hope all of you out there are doing well and owning both your lives: the mild mannered every day you and the hero you. It is that duality that we’re going to talk about today. SuperBetter is a fantastic tool to overcome so many different things. It takes tough issues, both emotional (such as depression or anxiety) and physical (such as getting fit or an ongoing illness) and turns them into a game to win.
So, what is the point of this series? These posts are here to discuss ideas on how to make your SuperBetter experience more game-based and interactive. When someone creates their own world of reality, they have the full ability to grow within it. I started just the way every player starts, with the SuperBetter homepage and login. But I had a few extra tools in my chest. I had a background in Roleplaying, Storytelling and Game Creating. Using these tools, I created a world for my SuperBetter journey from the ground up. And in this blog series, I will share a lot of these tips and techniques with whomever wants it. But first, you have to be willing to play.
As adults we’re told so many times that games are for children. People roll their eyes and talk of people wasting their lives in fantasy worlds that accomplish nothing. Now science has come along and proven that there are real benefits found inside the childhood antics of playing games and playacting. This basic principle of SuperBetter is described in helpguide.org:
Play is often described as a time when we feel most alive, yet we often take it for granted and may completely forget about it. But play isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity. Play is as important to our physical and mental health as getting enough sleep, eating well, and exercising. Play teaches us how to manage and transform our negative emotions and experiences. It supercharges learning, helps us relieve stress, and connects us to others and the world around us. Play can also make work more productive and pleasurable.
For me as a hero and All Star, this was so important. I got to do so much more than my mild-mannered teacher self could. By turning this into a game, rather than just a check list of to do’s and to dont’s, I was able to make myself accomplish things I thought impossible. My willpower skyrocketed. You know why? My game persona would have done those things. The gaming aspect allowed me to step away from myself and do things not because I wanted to, but because my hero self would not take no for an answer. She had the willpower, so would I.
Also, I got much more enjoyment from it when I changed it into a game as it became so much more immersive. When I lost a battle, I knew the war still continued, so I could more easily pick myself up and continue. This is a part of transforming our negatives. I could try again and beat that enemy the next day because it was a part of the game, not just something inside me that I could never get away from. So with this transformation, from reality to game, from me to hero, I was able to move into the next benefit of learning from it and relieving stress. And boy, we can all use that.
Now, if you believe me, let’s get ready to create, grow, learn and relax. Next time around we’ll discuss the importance of the secret identity and how to go about creating it.
