SuperBetter Book Summary - SuperBetter Book explained in key points

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SuperBetter summary

Name: SuperBetter
Rating: 4.1 (51 reviews)
Author: Jane McGonigal

Jane McGonigal

A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver, and More Resilient

4.1 (51 ratings)

21 mins

Topics

Confidence

Table of Contents

SuperBetter
Summary of 10 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 10

What’s in it for me? Game your way to a better life.

The average American spends well over ten hours every week playing computer games. Whether it’s teaming up with friends for an evening of Call of Duty, a sweaty session of aerobics on Wii Sports or a few minutes of Angry Birds on the bus to work, computer games have become a big part of our lives. And, actually, people have always played games. it’s part of what makes us human.

You might think of games simply as entertainment or a way to relax. But, as these blinks will show you, there’s much more to games than that. Introducing a spirit of gaming into your life can strengthen your cognitive skills, help you overcome prejudices and propel toward your goal. In short, they can help you become superbetter.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

how throwing snowballs can relieve pain;
why games improve your social skills; and
what you can learn from Zelda.

SuperBetter is a game that helps you overcome challenges and grow stronger as a person.

Have you ever heard of SuperBetter?

It’s a game created by the author, who came up with the idea while recovering from a brain injury. During her recovery, she realized that she didn’t just want to get better, she wanted to be even better than she was before the injury – superbetter! So she created a game to help her get there.

Games make it fun and exciting to overcome challenges. And they can even alleviate stress and interpersonal problems! SuperBetter is literally designed to empower you and give you more control over your life whenever you’re feeling overwhelmed by illness or any other serious problem.

SuperBetter works because of two human phenomena: post-traumatic growth and post-ecstatic growth.

Trauma doesn’t necessarily lead to long-term emotional or mental problems. In fact, trauma can usher in a life that’s happier and more fulfilling than the one you had before! That’s how post-traumatic growth works.

You don’t need trauma to experience personal growth, however. If you overcome challenges you set for yourself, such as running a marathon or quitting smoking, you can undergo post-ecstatic growth.

Post-traumatic growth and post-ecstatic growth are forms of positive development that you experience during difficult times. And, if you follow the seven steps outlined in the SuperBetter method, you’ll stand a much better chance of growing. These steps, the effectiveness of which has been thoroughly tested and proved, will help you build physical resilience, mental resilience, emotional resilience and social resilience. Read on to learn more about these terms – and why games are so good at helping you build them!

Games can lessen pain and help you overcome trauma.

On average, over one billion people spend at least one hour per day playing video games.

And those games lend themselves to more than just fun. They can actually alleviate physical pain and help people overcome trauma!

Games can help you build both empathy and positive relationships with others.

When confronted with a big challenge, it’s easy to feel alone. But remember: you’re never really alone! Everyone is surrounded by potential allies – you just have to find them.

Humans naturally mimic those around them. They imitate each other’s speech patterns. They fall into step when walking down the street. And the more time people spend together, the better they get at predicting each other’s thoughts and actions.

Games strengthen your motivation and perseverance.

Do you struggle with motivation at times? If you feel unmotivated or discouraged, don’t fret – because games are here to help!

Games boost your motivation, confidence and strength. They can also build character by improving your work ethic and sense of compassion. After all, they make you the hero of your own story!

Games can have a positive impact on your life, as long as you play for the right reasons.

Video games cause some people to become antisocial shut-ins; others become more creative and hardworking. What accounts for this difference?

The effect games have on your life doesn’t depend on which games you play or how long you play them. It depends on why you play.

Live gamefully by replacing a threat mindset with a challenge mindset.

Now let’s get back to SuperBetter. SuperBetter gives your life structure. It consists of seven simple steps – no matter what kind of challenge you’re trying to overcome or what kind of positive change you’re trying to achieve, there are always seven steps.

The philosopher Bernard Suits defined a “game” as a “voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” There’s no logical reason for attempting to hit a small white ball into a hole with a thin metal club – but we do it because golf is fun.

Identify the power-ups and bad guys in your life.

Super Mario fights walking turtles and seeks out mushrooms as power-ups to get stronger. As a player in the game of SuperBetter, your next two steps are to identify your power-ups and bad guys, too!

You need your own little boosts of power, just like Super Mario – and it’s up to you to collect those boosts and activate them!

Finding allies and designing quests makes you stronger and helps you reach your goals.

It’s much harder to achieve great things when you’re all alone. That’s why allies are so important!

Allies are friends or family members who help you move toward your goal. And games are a good way to get social support. It’s much easier to ask someone to play a game with you than to ask them for help!

Develop a secret identity and go after epic wins.

Your secret identity is something that empowers you. It plays off your personal strengths and makes SuperBetter more fun! That’s why the next step in SuperBetter is to do some self-reflection and develop a secret identity of your own.

A secret identity works like an avatar for the real world. The author thought of herself as Jane the Concussion Slayer when she was recovering from her brain injury and Jane of Willendorf (after Venus of Willendorf, the symbol of fertility) when she was trying to get pregnant.

Outline your adventure and keep score as you make progress in it.

Every video game hero has their own overarching adventure that frames everything they do. For instance, in Zelda, Link is trying to save princess Zelda.

Your quests, power-ups and bad guys all make up your adventure. Your adventure could be aimed at managing the stress of college admissions or becoming a vegetarian. The habits and skills you acquire from your daily quests move you toward achieving whatever your adventure is about.

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What is SuperBetter about?

SuperBetter (2015) teaches you how to overcome major challenges by harnessing the power of games. Whether you’re getting over an illness, writing a novel or trying to become a vegetarian, the game of SuperBetter can revolutionize your life and get you where you want to go.

Best quote from SuperBetter

With post-traumatic growth, we find the strengths and courage to do the things that make us happy, and to understand and express our true selves.

—Jane McGonigal

Who should read SuperBetter?

People facing a big challenge in life
Anyone interested in the power of games

About the Author

Jane McGonigal is a professional game designer and writer on the science of games. She was the first person to receive a PhD on the psychological effects of playing games. SuperBetter is her second best-selling book.

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