There can be no question that gaming is a major part of our culture. This is not necessarily a new thing. While today's young people are drawn to virtual worlds through their computers and gaming consoles, previous generations made great use of playing cards and other forms of games in their own way. McGonigal proposes that gaming of all types can help us all better ourselves and the world around us. The key is not in the games themselves, but what they do to or for us in the areas of psychology, sociology, education, development, and communication.

On average, 183 Americans will spend about 13 hours each week playing games of all types. This means that large numbers both in our country and across the world very quickly reach the 10,000 hour threshold that is generally considered by psychologists to indicate when a person has developed enough practice and training to be considered a specialist in areas like music or science.

She suggests that we take all of this expertise and training and use it not just for entertainment but to better the world. Throughout the various chapters McGonigal highlights how games can and are being used in classrooms to help kids connect with learning, around the globe confront issues like environmental degradation, and across the country to explore and learn about the world in which we live.

By trade, McGonigal is a game designer with some high levels of education in psychology and sociology. Both aspects of her life are quite evident throughout as she uses a great deal of research to support her argument. She also draws on a number of gaming projects that she has worked on to use as examples of how gaming has been used effectively.