The unedited transcript of Phalana Tiller's interviews with Aaron Dignan and Jenova Chen for the November 2012 episode of Drucker on the Dial entitled "The Games We Play." First, Aaron Dignan, co-founder and chief executive officer of Undercurrent, and author of the book entitled The Game Frame, says that there are a lot of basic behavioral principles and design techniques that are used in game development and game design that can be applied to the school, work, and home. He explains that games are designed experiences, and that thorough examination goes into designing that experience. Dignan talks about building new skills, giving more autonomy, and giving timely feedback. He talks about some of the clients he has worked with, and the process of practically putting information to use versus memorizing it and becoming familiar with it. Dignan believes that if people are not playing at work, then they are not learning, nor engaged. He goes on to say that he would like to be remembered for pushing human potential as far as it can go, and for helping people unlock what they are great at. Next, Jenova Chen, the founder and creative director of ThatGameCompany, talks about his interest in game design and flow theory. He explains that one of the conditions of flow is finding the balance between the challenge of an activity and the skill that the person has. Chen says that he looks into designs that can make people's learning experiences more satisfying and more fun. He discusses the challenges of maintaining a balance between social integration and self individualism, and adds that his company has tried to create a game where the user has more control over how much collaboration he or she wants to engage in. Chen explains that video games are a form of interactive media, and compares that medium to cinema, explaining that both are forms of entertainment that are used to satisfy people's emotional cravings. Chen believes that if video games are not designed to satisfy an entire society's emotional needs, and are only limited to a young male audience, it will become what the super hero comic has become in the United States, in comparison to the popularity of manga in Japan. He goes on to say that he would like to be remembered for creating experiences that really move people and make their lives better, that make them question what they want to do with their lives.
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