Addictive behaviors can be harnessed for positive outcomes, such as using game mechanics to encourage physical activity and healthier habits.

In the early days of Duolingo, we realized that keeping users motivated was the biggest challenge in language learning, which led us to incorporate game mechanics into our lessons.

I synthesized what I learned from best practices into a system called 'game thinking' to help startups, global brands, and game studios innovate and find product-market fit.

Games serve as an aesthetic form of thinking and doing, enabling players to pursue goals, solve problems, and understand systems in an engaging way.

I aim to create games that absorb players into an activity while also allowing them to reflect on their engagement and the nature of their goals.

Games have been a common thread throughout my life, influencing my career by training my mind, leading me to AI programming in the gaming industry, and now using games to train AI systems at DeepMind.

Despite the challenges of delivering high-quality games, the gaming industry has the potential to foster positive human connections. Engaging in multiplayer experiences can promote empathy and joy among players, contrasting with the negativity often found in social media interactions.

I learned that introducing a new idea can create a new category in the market, which inspired me to use that power to solve major global problems.

Games exist at the intersection of logic and emotion, combining mathematical thinking with artistic expression to create meaningful experiences. Games are the aesthetic form of thinking and doing, occupying an important overlap between engineering and art.