Paperback by HarperCollins, £12.99 (ebook £8.49)
We all understand the concept of a game, whether or not you play sports, enjoy videogames or are into puzzles – there is a challenge to overcome and you set out to win. Simply put, this is the basis of New York Times bestselling author/researcher Jane McGonigal’s book SuperBetter, an innovative guide to achieving life goals in a “gameful” way.
The idea formed after McGonigal suffered a severe concussion and spent long, arduous months recovering. Her subsequent research into playing games and how we react to life’s stressful situations, such as illness or grief, triggered a fascinating discovery – we can gain mental, emotional, physical, and social resilience by tapping into the same psychological characteristics we display when in game mode.
As McGonigal states in the book, these include self-efficacy, work ethic and determination. The result is a revolutionary concept, explained simply and enthusiastically in SuperBetter, which is well grounded in meticulous research. There is a section outlining the theory and the studies into gameplay and another featuring “quests” to help you build resilience straight away.
Practical and skilfully written, SuperBetter is a compelling read that maps the links between psychology and gameplay, and offers the ideal game plan to help you score in your goals.
