Jane McGonigal: Reality is Broken at the Science Pub In Portland, OR

Portland, a place where the geek & chic come to play and make a home, was the center stage for Jane McGonigal’s presentation “Reality is Broken: Why Games Make Us Better and How They Can Change The World.”  The Science pub is put together by the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and the idea is that you can go to one of the talks, learn about cutting-edge topics in science and technology from leading experts, and ask questions all while drinking a pint and with some tater tots. So when I heard that Jane McGonigal was going to be at the Bagdad theater where I presented at Ignite #9 (Samus: Legend of a Girl Gamer), about her new book “Reality is Broken,” the math was very simple…
Jane McGonigal + video games + beer + tater tots = EPIC WIN!
See? Even Einstein would back me up on that one! ¬_¬
So I went with book in hand and headed down to the Bagdad theater. One of the wonderful things about the Science Pub is that you don’t have to pay a cover, get tickets or anything. Just get there early enough to get a seat. There is a $3.00 suggested donation that you can give them, and who would have said no? I set out with a Terminator Stout to find a seat and played around on Twitter, looking for tweets from Ms. McGonigal or other attendees before her talk started.

It wasn’t long after when I looked up from my Twitter induced dazed that I noticed the theater was packed! Over 600 people had shown up to see her, a new record for the Science Pub. The atmosphere was absolutely divine! Nerds (Not Even Remotely Dorky) and geeks gathered all in one place to talk, show off their iPads, and play Angry Birds on their phones.

The lights dimmed and we played a trivia game to warm up the crowd. Among the questions were:
1) According to the ESA, what are the percentage of woman that play video games?
2) Finish this sentence…”All your base…”
3) What was the one death you couldn’t have on Oregon Trail? a)diphtheria, b) yellow fever, c) Indian attack

There were 10 questions and the ones that had the most questions right, won a Science Pub pint glass. I had 10 out of 10, but didn’t redeem my questionnaire fast enough. Didn’t get a glass, but I did get tickets to OMSI : ).

Then, the moment we were all waiting for: Jane took the stage. She began by covering how many hours an average gamer commits to when playing games. The bulk of the presentation came from her TED Talk, and at least the first chapter of her book. So if you have read the book or watched the TED talk, you’ll already have a leg up. If you haven’t, well, why not? Go watch it… Don’t worry, I’ll be here when you get back. ; )
So, back to the Science Pub, Jane McGonigal left us all with a sense of wonder, rooting for her to get a Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts and laughing at the weird faces we all do when we achieve an amazing moment in video game. It was known ground, yet she managed to masterfully engage and entertain us with her ideas on positive uses of video game playing time.

The floor was opened for questions, most of which came from  guys who wanted to know more, or wanted to get a better idea on how all this could be implemented right away. I tried to ask my question, but with 600+ people in the room, there wasn’t enough time for everyone. As soon as the Q&A ended I headed towards the back, so I could be one of the first in line for her book signing. The line grew long, fast. Powell’s books had come with copies of the book for anyone that would like to purchase it at the event, which was really nice and fun to overhear people talk about the book as they cracked their new copy.

After a little wait, it was my turn to meet Jane McGonigal in person, who’s first words to me were, “OH MY GOD! PORTAL! AWESOME! Did you see that I sneaked a photo of the game in the book?”, as she thumbed my copy of the book to get to the picture. I was wearing my “I love portal” shirt with the love part being the companion cube in the middle. What can I say? The cake might be a lie, but Jane’s and my love for Portal is not. She was very approachable and down to earth; I would have loved to just sit down and pick her brain, but the line for her book signing was getting really long. I had read her website before and she’s very as a matter of fact about talking to her, and thus I was the same way. Even though my urge of “DUDE! Let’s go to Ground Kontrol and geek out over a game of Galaga!”, was almost overwhelming.

I left the theater with so many ideas and a project I have been planning for 2 years now, nagging me in the back of my head. Jane has the power to make what seems impossible to do into something very possible, and that is one of the many things I admire about her.  If she happens to be visiting one of your hometowns, do make time to see her. You will be treated to a world full of magic that does not take place in Narnia, but in reality where she will be more than happy to shatter it and invite you to play more video games.
I just don’t see nothing wrong with that!  ; )