2024-06-17
56 分钟The games that we played as children really profoundly influence our filters, the way we solve problems, the way we think.
There's actually a lot of previously gamed out things from our past that are dictating a lot of the way we see the world and the way we're interacting with people.
Part of the beauty of games is that you can pretend to be whoever the character you're playing is.
You can be completely outside of yourself and hopefully, like, explore new aspects of your personality or act in ways that you wouldn't normally act and experience what it would be like to be someone else.
I think the most successful people are people who are constantly remaking themselves and playing with what works and what doesn't work, and exploring these different ideas in playful ways.
So have you ever wondered what our lives might be like if we approached them more like games?
If we saw challenges as opportunities for playful exploration instead of these stressful obstacles?
If we embrace our childlike sense of curiosity and engage with the world through a lens of creativity and joy?
Well, my guest today is Kelly Clency, and she is about to take us on a mind expanding journey that will reshape how we view reality itself.
Kelly is a neuroscientist and physicist who has held positions in research at MIT, Berkeley University College of London, and the AI company DeepMind.
Her work focuses on really uncovering the core principles of intelligence by developing these cutting edge brain computer interfaces that investigate the biological roots of human agency and identity.
This is deep, powerful, really groundbreaking work, and in her new book, playing with reality how games have shaped our world, Kelly explores how games, from ancient rituals to modern video games, have the power to reveal deep truths about human nature, while also providing just a safe space for us to experiment with different identities and moral frameworks and ways of being.
And through her research on agency and brain based computer interfaces, Kelly has gained really fascinating insights into how games engage our minds and shape our behavior in powerful ways, ways that might really surprise you, actually.
But as shell share in our conversation, many of the prevailing models in game theory and economics, theyre also based on flawed assumptions about human nature that prioritize competition over collaboration and really reinforce bringing the worst of ourselves to our relationships and the world.
And by embracing a more holistic and cooperative approach to game design, Kelly believes that we can create a world where everyone can thrive and flourish in a sustainable way.
So join me for this mind expanding exploration of the surprising ways that games can really help us transcend our limitations, cultivate greater wisdom and compassion, and create a more harmonious and equitable world for all.
So excited to share this conversation with you.
I'm Jonathan Fields, and this is good life project.
The recent book has got a lot of really interesting stuff and also just you and your work in general.
I was actually recently reading, I think it was a 2019 piece in Wired that you had written about a couple, a woman whose mom was diagnosed with fatal familial insomnia and kind of following her journey along as her mom passed, I guess, in her fifties really rapidly from this genetic disease, and then she found out she had the gene for it.