Imaginable: How to See the Future Coming and Feel Ready for Anything―Even Things that Seem Impossible Today
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- Create Date：2022-05-12 15:21:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jane McGonigal
- ISBN：B09PLPKP7H
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Reviews
Travis Meserve
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Super thought provoking book。 Lots of great exercises that stretch the imagination。 I found myself talking to friends and getting their thoughts on some of the future scenarios which was fun。 Only critique is that many of the future scenarios necessarily have political assumptions baked in and， if the idea as stated in the book is to bring as many people as possible into these future worlds， there could have been more consideration or time spent examining scenarios on both ends of the political Super thought provoking book。 Lots of great exercises that stretch the imagination。 I found myself talking to friends and getting their thoughts on some of the future scenarios which was fun。 Only critique is that many of the future scenarios necessarily have political assumptions baked in and， if the idea as stated in the book is to bring as many people as possible into these future worlds， there could have been more consideration or time spent examining scenarios on both ends of the political spectrum。 Just my two cents and overall one of the most thought provoking books I've read in a while。 。。。more
Robert Booth
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Interesting。 Much I disagree with（reason for the 3 stars）， but also causes much to think about。
Jim Witkins
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Interesting thought experiments。 Helpful to learn some tips on her scenario building/simulating process。 Would recommend the print version over audio。 Probably easier to scan and refer to the scenarios， etc。
Annamae
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Imanginable by Jane McGonigal was a profoundly insightful read about envisioning a future。 McGonigal's work provide context， exce rcises， as well as simulations to work towards envisioning the future。 Listening to McGoingal read her own work assisted readers in understanding and clarity Imanginable by Jane McGonigal was a profoundly insightful read about envisioning a future。 McGonigal's work provide context， exce rcises， as well as simulations to work towards envisioning the future。 Listening to McGoingal read her own work assisted readers in understanding and clarity 。。。more
Regina
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Not gonna lie， pretty early on while reading Imaginable the future I was most fondly imagining was one where I’d finished it。That’s because I went into it with the wrong expectations。 I wanted the inside scoop on when I’d be buying my first flying car and vacationing on Mars。 As it turns out， the “How to” part of the subtitle is pretty important here。 This is really a self help book on how to become more open to an ever-changing world。Jane McGonigal is a video game designer and future forecaster Not gonna lie， pretty early on while reading Imaginable the future I was most fondly imagining was one where I’d finished it。That’s because I went into it with the wrong expectations。 I wanted the inside scoop on when I’d be buying my first flying car and vacationing on Mars。 As it turns out， the “How to” part of the subtitle is pretty important here。 This is really a self help book on how to become more open to an ever-changing world。Jane McGonigal is a video game designer and future forecaster who actually created a video game simulation of a global pandemic about a decade ago that ended up being a heck of a lot like COVID-19。 The participants of the simulation exercise found themselves better prepared and therefore able to adapt more easily to the rapid changes it forced into our lives。 Through the book， she challenges readers to work through scenarios like a garbage-less future。 Let’s break that one down。 The U。S。’s biggest export is waste。 Eventually other countries are gonna be like， “Hey ‘merica？ We don’t want your trash anymore。” So then what？ McGonigal wants you to do things like write down 100 possible ramifications of that， or even have a Meet Up gathering to work through it in teams。 I’d say there was a 0% chance I’d ever get together with a bunch of random peeps for a fun game of “What will I do with my empty toothpaste tubes，” but the author ultimately makes a pretty solid case for never saying never。 I knew she won me over when I started sharing random tidbits from the book with my husband over our nightly dinner salads。 If I can get the hubs to say some variation of uh huh/wow/mm hmm/interesting at least 10 times about something， it’s a winner。Blog: https://www。confettibookshelf。com/ 。。。more
Micah McCarty
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Book= five stars， audiobook= two stars。 I almost always hate it when an author reads their own book。 There are exceptions （Nick Offerman， John Green） but usually they do a disservice to their work。 This was absolutely the case。 The author sounds almost exactly like the robot that reads text aloud on TikTok。 It was excruciating。 If I wasn't so into the ideas of the book I would have turned it off after a few minutes。 And once you hear the tiktok robot you can't unhear the author's same intonation Book= five stars， audiobook= two stars。 I almost always hate it when an author reads their own book。 There are exceptions （Nick Offerman， John Green） but usually they do a disservice to their work。 This was absolutely the case。 The author sounds almost exactly like the robot that reads text aloud on TikTok。 It was excruciating。 If I wasn't so into the ideas of the book I would have turned it off after a few minutes。 And once you hear the tiktok robot you can't unhear the author's same intonation。 But narration aside this is a wonderful dive into the future and what just may be coming for us。 I didn't do all of the exercises she recommends but still found the book useful in thinking about the future and how best to be prepared。 。。。more
Eric Mayle
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“It’s a waste of what the future is really good for to try to predict it。 The gift of the future is creativity。”I have been on-record for almost a decade with my position that Jane McGonigal is one of the smartest， most visionary people of all time。 In this， she outdoes even that lofty praise。 Through discussion of how futurists and game designers approach learning to anticipate the future， she talks about crisis after crisis… and will leave you feeling oddly progressively hopeful through it all “It’s a waste of what the future is really good for to try to predict it。 The gift of the future is creativity。”I have been on-record for almost a decade with my position that Jane McGonigal is one of the smartest， most visionary people of all time。 In this， she outdoes even that lofty praise。 Through discussion of how futurists and game designers approach learning to anticipate the future， she talks about crisis after crisis… and will leave you feeling oddly progressively hopeful through it all。 This is now high in the running for my all-time favorite book， and I would recommend it to anyone who plans on being alive for more than just a couple years。 。。。more
Ross Smith
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This was a different perspective on future thinking。 Overall good， but I think it probably could have saved many pages by limiting the "future scenarios" - especially at the end。 Some good takeaways about the process though。 This was a different perspective on future thinking。 Overall good， but I think it probably could have saved many pages by limiting the "future scenarios" - especially at the end。 Some good takeaways about the process though。 。。。more
Niklas Laninge
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Lots of fun exercises and smart ideas but each chapter starts with a huge setup that doesn’t really add value。 Same goes for the neuro-parts。 This book could be shorter。
Joshua Bradley
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Seven years ago， I listened to Jane and Tim talk about her new book， “Superbetter”。 I wrote later on Medium， “in 2 hours， this conversation shifted the direction of my life。 The podcast had become the catalyst I was desperate for。” Over the next six months I trained from zero on a single speed bike to ride a 50 mile grand fondo， while being incredibly ill from complications from Crohn’s Disease。 I spent two years figuring out how to train with dangerously high inflammation levels， a low red bloo Seven years ago， I listened to Jane and Tim talk about her new book， “Superbetter”。 I wrote later on Medium， “in 2 hours， this conversation shifted the direction of my life。 The podcast had become the catalyst I was desperate for。” Over the next six months I trained from zero on a single speed bike to ride a 50 mile grand fondo， while being incredibly ill from complications from Crohn’s Disease。 I spent two years figuring out how to train with dangerously high inflammation levels， a low red blood cell count， and several surgeries for Crohn’s。 I gamed my way from SF to LA with ALC/Lifecycle as well as finishing the Hope for Crohn’s Triathlon and putting my disease into deep remission。Seven years later， I again found myself cooking dinner and listening to Jane and Tim talk about being more resilient and empowered in these crazy times by harnessing an imaginable future。 The inward looking to outward， reflects my own journey， I am now the cofounder of an education startup and about to publish my first cookbook for people with Crohn’s Disease。Jane’s new book， “Imaginable” challenges the notion of an unimaginable future， giving us a toolkit and game chest to play and envision the future and how we relate and participate in it。 She invites us to time travel， play， and prepare through engaging with what feels uncomfortable or scary。 5/7If “Superbetter” was about gaming agency to overcome personal obstacles and building resilience and support， “Imaginable” expands these skills to how we relate and participate in the uncertain and often overwhelming state of the world。“Imaginable”， like “Superbetter”， empowers readers like a spotlight cutting through the fog of fear and uncertainty and places us firmly in the present by playing with the future and inviting us to be “Urgent Optimists”。 I’m looking forward to her 2033 book club meetup where we can share all that we saw and saw coming thanks to her work。 。。。more
Lisa Wright
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McGonigal is a visionary， a futurist， and game designer。 She walks the reader through the process of imagining ten years in the future。 The scenarios intentionally sound "ridiculous， at first，" but actually have seeds in our current time。 Fascinating and extremely useful。 You can't prepare for a future you can't imagine！ McGonigal is a visionary， a futurist， and game designer。 She walks the reader through the process of imagining ten years in the future。 The scenarios intentionally sound "ridiculous， at first，" but actually have seeds in our current time。 Fascinating and extremely useful。 You can't prepare for a future you can't imagine！ 。。。more
Jonathan Cassie
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McGonigal is a visionary and this practical guide to seeing the future is a masterpiece。 I will be using it in my classes and referring to it regularly going forward。 Read it at once if future thinking is something you concern yourself with！
Janina Scarlet
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Jane McGonigal has done it again - she’s taken difficult and painful topics and made them digestible and hopeful。 It’s a fantastic read and I highly recommend it
Mita Williams
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This book helps us imagine how we might face strange and challenging futures。 I wish there was a way to convince politicians and those in power to read this book because Jane reminds us that there are ways towards a better future。。。 and that way is not by maintaining the status quo。
Caroline
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I read part of the author's previous two books。 I actually bought her second book for my team lead right after she lost her mother; we had previously discussed how important games could be。 I have been conscious of the author's efforts to make the world a better place using gamification。 In this book， she starts out by telling you how to think about the future。 I received a review copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and have left my opinion。 I read part of the author's previous two books。 I actually bought her second book for my team lead right after she lost her mother; we had previously discussed how important games could be。 I have been conscious of the author's efforts to make the world a better place using gamification。 In this book， she starts out by telling you how to think about the future。 I received a review copy of the audiobook from NetGalley and have left my opinion。 。。。more
Andrea Wenger
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This book encourage readers to practice imagining how things might be different in ten years。 The purpose is to enhance creativity and resilience。 In general， I found the book fascinating and inspirational。 Unfortunately， I also found it anxiety inducing and wasn't able to finish it。Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 This book encourage readers to practice imagining how things might be different in ten years。 The purpose is to enhance creativity and resilience。 In general， I found the book fascinating and inspirational。 Unfortunately， I also found it anxiety inducing and wasn't able to finish it。Thanks， NetGalley， for the ARC I received。 This is my honest and voluntary review。 。。。more
Lisa
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I am so glad I listened to this audiobook （thank you NetGalley）。 The author is the narrator and did a really good job。 This was the first time I have read anything about futurism and it was very thought-provoking！ Jane McGonigal's background is so unique， and she brings these influences into this book in interesting and intelligent ways。 Well worth a read/listen。 I am so glad I listened to this audiobook （thank you NetGalley）。 The author is the narrator and did a really good job。 This was the first time I have read anything about futurism and it was very thought-provoking！ Jane McGonigal's background is so unique， and she brings these influences into this book in interesting and intelligent ways。 Well worth a read/listen。 。。。more
Cristina Elena | LaaA
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After two years of living through a global pandemic， you’d think that nothing is unimaginable anymore， and then， all of a sudden， a war starts in a nearby country which leads to questions such as “Was this imaginable？” or “Who could have imagined something like this？” Well， believe it or not， such a scenario might have been imagined and even debated during one of Jane McGonigal’s classes from the Institute for the Future。If you’ve gotten so far， it means that you’re one of those people who is no After two years of living through a global pandemic， you’d think that nothing is unimaginable anymore， and then， all of a sudden， a war starts in a nearby country which leads to questions such as “Was this imaginable？” or “Who could have imagined something like this？” Well， believe it or not， such a scenario might have been imagined and even debated during one of Jane McGonigal’s classes from the Institute for the Future。If you’ve gotten so far， it means that you’re one of those people who is not afraid to look into the future and its endless possibilities， but most important， you’re not afraid to imagine scenarios that could happen， not to mention finding solutions to some of the problems or crises that could arise。In her own 17-hour narrated audiobook， Jane McGonigal will take you through her technique of imagining any number of futures， no matter the shape and size they come with and， what I found most interesting， is a way in which to get back to the present without the burden of a possible future。“Imaginable” comes out on 22-Mar-2022 in print and audio format！Special thanks to NetGalley， OrangeSky Audio， Spiegel & Grau， and the author for giving me the opportunity to review the ARC in audiobook format and to you， my reader， for taking the time to read this honest personal book review。If you are interested in other of my book reviews， make sure to follow me on GoodReads！#LifeLongLearning #Imaginable #NetGalley 。。。more
Nicci Obert
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This book offered a step through a portal to the future in a very accessible （to me） format。 The imagination prompts， background information， and "assignments" to watch for signals of change， to imagine a concrete future and how my future self will behave in any scenario， and to practice "urgent optimism" to be an agent of helpfulness in a changing world， were all tangible and active ways that gave me a sliver of hope in an increasingly despairing timeline。 I was so excited and encouraged that I This book offered a step through a portal to the future in a very accessible （to me） format。 The imagination prompts， background information， and "assignments" to watch for signals of change， to imagine a concrete future and how my future self will behave in any scenario， and to practice "urgent optimism" to be an agent of helpfulness in a changing world， were all tangible and active ways that gave me a sliver of hope in an increasingly despairing timeline。 I was so excited and encouraged that I pre-ordered a copy of the physical book and plan to work through the activities and simulations with my family。I learned a lot about the field of futurism/future studies and was impressed by the presentation， tone， and accessibility of the information。 Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of the audiobook。 。。。more
Jim Razinha
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I finished this book more than two weeks ago and have been sifting through my notes and mulling how to review it。 Disclosure: I received this advance review copy from the publisher Spiegel & Grau through Edelweiss。 One of the first things I try to determine after reading is who the target audience is。。。and with this， I had a hard time。 I know it is not me。 I concluded， rightly or wrongly but this is my impression， early in this book that this particular type of futurism - specifically episodic f I finished this book more than two weeks ago and have been sifting through my notes and mulling how to review it。 Disclosure: I received this advance review copy from the publisher Spiegel & Grau through Edelweiss。 One of the first things I try to determine after reading is who the target audience is。。。and with this， I had a hard time。 I know it is not me。 I concluded， rightly or wrongly but this is my impression， early in this book that this particular type of futurism - specifically episodic future thinking （EFT） - most closely resembled hypnosis。 I cannot be hypnotized （this is true。。。some people cannot be， and I cannot。） Nor can I immerse myself in a movie， book or similar。 My wife can。 And she has vivid dreams （mindbogglingly vivid dreams！） My only remembered dreams can sometimes be vivid， but they are usually not dreams I want to remember。 So my wife might be able to do the EFT。 That sad， there is definitely a target audience， and I am not it。 For "playing with a future scenario"， Dr。 McGonigal proposes two rules （Rule #2 is "See the future scenario from your unique point of view"， and Rule #1 is。。。）: "Suspend your disbelief。 No matter how strange the scenario seems to you， accept that this future is possible and works as described。 Don’t get into a mental argument with yourself about why it would never happen or how it could never work。 Just go with it。" Well， that is next to impossible for me 。。。 in a movie， a television show， a book， 。。。 and this。 I like to say I need to see a movie a second time before the first， because incongruities just jump out at me and it goes against reason to ignore them （my wife always tells me "just watch it"， so she's with Dr。 McGonigal。） I am probably more of the exception than the rule in that。 She does say about half through the book in a chapter on Hard Empathy that "Seeing the future from someone else’s point of view — someone whose circumstances， values， lived experiences， hopes， and worries are very different from your own - is not easy。" I don't think any of this is easy， for me at least， but that comes a little easier than the other practices she outlines （again， for me）。 And despite physical exercise and stretching， after 60 years， I am still not physically flexible。 Why mention that？ It seems by Dr。 McGonigal's definition I might not be mentally flexible。 I admit rigidity in some areas。 And quite the opposite in others。 I don't agree with her definition， but as it ties with what she's putting out here， I get the perspective。Dr。 McGonigal references Jim Dator's short essay "What Futures Studies Is， and Is Not" （the link may trigger a warning for an unsecure source， but it works）， which helped make more sense of the theme of this book。It is important to understand that the futurists like Dr。 McGonigal are not quite like those of Kurzweil， Kaku， Medvedev， etc。 （Nor should any of them be confused with the "psychic" Jeanne Dixons who “predict” futures - with the extremely infrequent hits。） These futurists imagine possibilities。 Probably with a higher percentage of hits than “psychics”。 This is an extended exercise in imagination。 Deliberate word choice there。。。 extended 。。。 because I this this book is too long。 Too overly explained。 And that target audience might very well lose interest because of the repetition。Takeaways: I do think I'll be reading the World Economic Forum’s annual Global Risks Report in the future （too easy？） - that was a good recommendation。 And this was goodAs the historian and activist David Swanson has said， “Almost everything important that’s ever happened was unimaginable shortly before it happened。” We have to actively try to overcome normalcy bias， so we can think more effectively， and creatively， about the future。 We have to train the brain to recognize when this cognitive bias is no longer helpful。As was thisThe world is jam-packed with trustworthy experts whose full-time job is to study， analyze， and warn others of future risks and disruptions: climate scientists， epidemiologists， technology ethicists， investigative reporters， human rights activists， national security researchers， economic forecasters。 We just have to listen to them。 Thoughts: Dr。 McGonigal looks ten years out， but I think there is higher value to most people in semi-futurist thinking now 。。。 because most of what we stress about won’t matter in a few years， even just next year。 The lesson here is to recognize that like business， or {cringe} self-help， books that all tout the secret to … [fill in the blank]…， read this and everything with an open mind， and a cautious scepticism。 。。。more
Glo
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‘Imaginable’ is firstly motivating， and secondly quite practical。 Additionally， Jane McGonigal provides scientific information to support her proposals。 Therefore， we can understand a bit more about the process of making decisions and several techniques that can train the brain to be more prepared for future situations and changes。。 There are many examples， clues and guidelines to strength the imagination and to take advantage of imagining vividly for a possible healing， a boost of confidence an ‘Imaginable’ is firstly motivating， and secondly quite practical。 Additionally， Jane McGonigal provides scientific information to support her proposals。 Therefore， we can understand a bit more about the process of making decisions and several techniques that can train the brain to be more prepared for future situations and changes。。 There are many examples， clues and guidelines to strength the imagination and to take advantage of imagining vividly for a possible healing， a boost of confidence and broaden our outlook and opportunities。 Paraphrasing the title， train your imagination to see the future coming and feel ready for anything―even things that seem impossible today’。The audiobook is well structured。 Jane McGonigal is also the narrator。 So even though the speech might sound in a few parts at the beginning a bit robotic， she gets more fluent and adds an extra amount of passion， encouragement and energy that compensates。Thanks to Netgalley， OrangeSky Audio and the author Jane McGonigal for an advanced copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review。 #Imaginable #NetGalley 。。。more
Bharath
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I had seen Jane McGonigal’s TED talk on SuperBetter and in general the positive impact well designed games can have on our happiness & even longevity。 It is only when I picked up this audiobook that I realized that she is a futurist involved with the Institute for the Future。I have found many of the articles written by futurists to be interesting， and that is what prompted me to take to this （audio）book。 I did not know what to expect from this book specifically though。 We are in a period when ce I had seen Jane McGonigal’s TED talk on SuperBetter and in general the positive impact well designed games can have on our happiness & even longevity。 It is only when I picked up this audiobook that I realized that she is a futurist involved with the Institute for the Future。I have found many of the articles written by futurists to be interesting， and that is what prompted me to take to this （audio）book。 I did not know what to expect from this book specifically though。 We are in a period when certain major challenges such as climate change， population explosion， job uncertainty and rising polarisation are looming。 At the same time there is unprecedented pace of change driven by technology – genetics， artificial foods， connectivity， etc。 As expected， all of this and more finds good a high degree of coverage in the book。I found a lot of the advice in the book to be practical。 For instance - thinking in terms of 10-year timeframes （even in short bursts of 20 seconds）， You can project based on past experiences as well; in a 10-year timeframe – FB users crossed a billion， same sex marriages & marijuana were legalized in many US states & nations in Europe etc。 While thinking （and as a result worrying） about the future may seem a depressing thing to do， apparently when our minds travel to the future for a period， we are better prepared when that future arrives。 There are experts for various fields but we need to bring it all together for taking stock of our own lives and potentially others， since many problems today need community involvement。 There are sprinklings of neuroscience research as many topics are discussed。 A number of future thinking techniques and examples are provided， most of which were very good。Overall， a fascinating and energizing book which I recommend for everyone。 The level of detail in terms of current context is excessive at times though。 My rating: 4。5 / 5。Thanks to Netgalley， OrangeSky Audio and the author for a free review audiobook。 。。。more
Liz Psaltis
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This is a truly inspiring read。 Its many scenarios， tools， and ideas have me thinking daily about what the future might hold and what I personally can bring to these potential futures。
Karen
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