The Future of Collective Play

Jane McGonigal

The Institute for the Future

www.avantgame.com

How are the specific games we choose to design and play today most likely to impact

our future lives?

What kinds of new games will we need to play in the future in order to learn and

practice whatever social, technological, and organizational skills that emerge as the

guiding principles of global culture?

Why should we care about teaching collective intelligence (CI)?

Who should be taught CI?

How, exactly, does an alternate reality game teach CI?

And what kind of future will we shape by playing alternate reality games?

Can a computer game teach collective intelligence?

Collective Intelligence

- Pierre Levy, 1994

Cogito, ergo sum Cogitamus, ergo sumus

3 CI Hallmarks:

• Massively multi-human users

• Social data-gathering and analysis

• Creative, often unexpected application

3 Stages of CI Gameplay

1) collective cognition

2) cooperation

3) coordination

“One thing is for sure: Sometimes a call is just a call…. but sometimes it’s a warning from the future.” -alternate reality gamer

“It is really important to me that you, and other people, understand the differences that alternate reality gaming has made in our way of thinking. It has powerfully affected our attitudes about what is possible. The game for me has been about gathering a firsthand knowledge of how a large community can function, including the role of new technology. I know that large scale communities can be extraordinarily effective. I am not afraid of the complexities.”

- Rose, I Love Bees player

CI Game Design

1) collective cognition requires

massively distributed content

2) cooperation requires

meaningful ambiguity

3) coordination requires

real-time responsiveness

For more games from the future, visit www.avantgame.com

www.worldwithoutoil.org