SMU's Tate Series Features Visionary Game Designer Jane McGonigal

WHO:

Jane McGonigal will be the featured speaker at the Oncor Lecture of the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series.

Jane McGonigal is a visionary game designer and futurist who emphasizes the power of games to solve problems. Named by The New York Times as one of 10 scientists with the best vision for what is coming next, and by Oprah Winfrey as one of the 20 most inspiring women in the world, McGonigal is harnessing the power of the Internet games in new ways to help solve some of the biggest challenges facing our world today and tomorrow.

In her engaging, forward-thinking book Reality is Broken, Jane McGonigal makes the case that the gamer spirit — an attitude of fun, dedicated, collective problem-solving — is our greatest asset as we face the social, economic, and environmental problems of the 21st century. She argues that game designers are happiness engineers who are experts in making difficult tasks engaging..

WHEN:

Tuesday, Nov 13, 2012

STUDENT FORUM:

TIME: 4:30 p.m.

The Tate Lecture Series Student Forum is a question-and-answer session for area high school students, SMU students, faculty and staff with the featured Tate speaker. It will begin at 4:30 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg Student Center Ballroom, 3140 Dyer St. (west of Airline Road) on the SMU campus. 

MEDIA GUIDELINES:

No audio or video taping of the lecture in its entirety is allowed. Only still photography using available light will be permitted during the first five minutes of the forum and only from assigned areas. No flash photography. Media interested in covering the Student Forum may park in the visitor lot in front of Patterson Hall to the east of the student center on Dyer Street. The student forum cannot be aired in its entirety without permission.

EVENING LECTURE:

TIME: 8 p.m.

The Oncor Lecture of the Willis M. Tate Distinguished Lecture Series featuring Jane McGonigal will be held in McFarlin Auditorium, 6405 Boaz Ln. on the SMU campus.

Media wishing to cover the evening lecture should contact SMU’s Office of News and Communications at (214) 768-7650 by noon on Tuesday, Nov. 13.

MEDIA GUIDELINES:

Only still photography using available light will be permitted during the first five minutes of the evening lecture and only from assigned areas. No flash photography. No audio or video taping of the lecture in its entirety is allowed.