The Mayday Games Blog

1. Can playing video games make you more productive? Gabe Zichermann shows how games are making kids better problem-solvers, and will make us better at everything from driving to multi-tasking. 2. We're bringing gameplay into more aspects of our lives, spending countless hours — and real money — exploring virtual worlds for imaginary treasures. Why? As Tom Chatfield shows, games are perfectly tuned to dole out rewards that engage the brain and keep us questing for more. 3. It's never easy to get across the magnitude of complex tragedies — so when Brenda Romero's daughter came home from school asking about slavery, she did what she does for a living — she designed a game. She describes the surprising effectiveness of this game, and others, in helping the player really understand the story. 4. You’ve just been injured, and you’re on the way home from an hour of physical therapy. The last thing you want to do on your own is confusing exercises that take too long to show results. TED Fellow Cosmin Mihaiu demos a fun, cheap solution that turns boring physical therapy exercises into a video game with crystal-clear instructions. What are some of your favorite TED talks? Share in the comments below!