First published 2016
Game designer Jane McGonigal faces a brain injury that leaves her struggling with depression and recovery. She creates a game to help herself heal, turning the slow process of getting better into something she can actively play. McGonigal discovers that treating recovery like a game gives her tools to fight back against her symptoms. She develops concepts like power-ups, small actions that boost her mood and energy throughout each day. The approach works so well that she shares it with others. A quarter million people play her recovery game, with some reporting their depression lifts within six weeks. Even patients facing terminal cancer find the gaming approach gives them more control over their health experience. McGonigal shows readers how to apply gaming principles to their own challenges, creating step-by-step methods for daily life. She demonstrates how small shifts in thinking can produce significant changes in how people feel and function.
Genres: psychology, mental-health, self-help, games
Vibes: inspirational, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, self-improvement
482 pages · Kindle Edition · Thorsons
Content warnings: depression, mental-illness