What's really amazing about games is how they change our emotional response to challenges

Growing up, I was prone to anxiety.

A game is an opportunity to focus our energy, with relentless optimism, at something we’re good at (or getting better at) and enjoy. In other words, gameplay is the direct emotional opposite of depression.

Gamers always believe that an epic win is possible and that it's always worth trying and trying now.

Avatars are a way to express our true selves, our most heroic, idealized version of who we might become.

There is no problem that doesn't have some underlying need for more optimism, stamina, resilience and collaboration. And games are, I believe, the best platform we have for providing that.

When you strip away the genre differences and the technological complexities, all games share four defining traits: a goal, rules, a feedback system, and voluntary participation.