McGonigal To Host "Find The Future" Game Event at New York Public Library

The New York Public Library is set to host an evening gaming event, organized by game designer and author Jane McGonigal. "Find The Future: The Game" will be played on May 20 by gamers chosen by McGonigal and NYPL, in honor of the 100th birthday of the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Five hundred gamers will be given the chance to walk around the 42nd Street building at night, exploring the collections on display and solving "quests." These missions will be delivered via a mobile app, and require players to find certain areas in the library and scan QR codes to prove they were there. The quests will also ask the players to consider literature and write pieces that will eventually be collected into a book that will go on display at the library. The series of quests will also be made available to play online, albeit without the library exploration. Collections involved will include Jack Kerouac’s glasses, The Declaration of Independence and a letter opener made from the paw of Charles Dickens' cat. McGonigal said of the event, "The game is designed to empower young people to find their own futures by bringing them face-to-face with the writings and objects of people who made an extraordinary difference." "Like every game I make, it has one goal: to turn players into super-empowered, hopeful individuals with real skills and ideas to help them change the world." To qualify for the event, players must visit a special link at the NYPL site later today and complete a special quest. A team of judges will then select the 500 participants. Talking at PAX East last month, McGonigal discussed how "games are bringing out the best in us", noting that games can enrich the lives of gamers and the people around them.