Over time, the games we play can change how we think and what we're capable of. And it's easy to maximize the benefits so the changes are positive.

Cory Doctorow is a fast and furious storyteller who gets all the details of alternate reality gaming right, while offering a startling, new vision of how these games might play out in the high-stakes context of a terrorist attack. Little Brother is a brilliant novel with a bold argument: hackers and gamers might just be our country's best hope for the future.

There is so much more knowledge than most people realize about how to maximize the benefits of play and minimize the potential harms.

We can boost our immune systems by strengthening our social networks and decreasing stress.

My mom is a public school teacher and works with third grade students.

I see a future in which games once again are explicitly designed to improve quality of life, to prevent suffering, and to create real, widespread happiness.

It's a bit counter-intuitive to think about the future in terms of the past. But...I've learned an important trick: to develop foresight, you need to practice hindsight. Technologies, cultures, and climates may change, but our basic human needs and desires - to survive, to care for our families, and to lead happy, purposeful lives - remain the same.' p 5