Public Event

In Person

You've Been Played! How Institutions Use Games to Control Us

Register for Event
RSVP

Sep

21

Join us for a conversation with game designer Adrian Hon to celebrate the publication of You've Been Played. In the book, Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.

when

Wednesday
September 21, 2022
6:30 pm

LoCATION

Betaworks, 29 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10014

agenda

Speakers

Adrian Hon

CEO, Six to Start
Author of You’ve Been Played and A History of the Future in 100 Objects
Biography

Adrian Hon is co-founder and CEO at Six to Start, creators of gamelike stories and story-like games including the world's bestselling smartphone fitness game, "Zombies, Run!" with ten million players. He's the author of A History of the Future in 100 Objects, a columnist at EDGE magazine, and has spoken at the flagship TED conference, the Long Now Foundation, GoogleX, and Disney Imagineering. Before becoming a game designer, Adrian was a neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at Cambridge, UCSD, and Oxford.

Adrian Vatchinsky

Technologist in Residence
e•a•t•} works
Biography

Currently Adrian is thinking of ways web3 can augment physical spaces in real life. Previously, Adrian has launched multiple startups, studied Physics in NYU, was a fellow at NASA JPL, and received a masters from Cornell Tech.

Sponsors

In Person
–
Public Event

You've Been Played! How Institutions Use Games to Control Us

September 21, 2022
6:30 pm

Postponed: New Date TBA

RSVP

About

Join us for a conversation with game designer Adrian Hon to celebrate the publication of You've Been Played. In the book, Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.

When

September 21, 2022
6:30 pm

Where

Betaworks, 29 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10014
RSVP

Agenda

Speakers

Adrian Hon

CEO, Six to Start
Author of You’ve Been Played and A History of the Future in 100 Objects
Biography

Adrian Hon is co-founder and CEO at Six to Start, creators of gamelike stories and story-like games including the world's bestselling smartphone fitness game, "Zombies, Run!" with ten million players. He's the author of A History of the Future in 100 Objects, a columnist at EDGE magazine, and has spoken at the flagship TED conference, the Long Now Foundation, GoogleX, and Disney Imagineering. Before becoming a game designer, Adrian was a neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at Cambridge, UCSD, and Oxford.

Adrian Vatchinsky

Technologist in Residence
e•a•t•} works
Biography

Currently Adrian is thinking of ways web3 can augment physical spaces in real life. Previously, Adrian has launched multiple startups, studied Physics in NYU, was a fellow at NASA JPL, and received a masters from Cornell Tech.

Sponsors

Proof of Full Vaccination Required

Betaworks requires all visitors to show proof of full vaccination to enter. No exceptions. Two ways that you can show proof:
  • Official vaccine card with at least 2 weeks having passed since the date of the last required dose (1 dose for J&J/AstraZeneca, 2 for Pfizer/Moderna)
  • An active digital pass such as the NY State Excelsior Pass or the CLEAR app

Sep

21

Public Event

In Person

You've Been Played! How Institutions Use Games to Control Us

Register for Event
Register Now

Join us for a conversation with game designer Adrian Hon to celebrate the publication of You've Been Played. In the book, Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.

when

Wednesday
September 21, 2022
6:30 pm

LoCATION

Betaworks, 29 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10014

agenda

Speakers

Adrian Hon

CEO, Six to Start
Author of You’ve Been Played and A History of the Future in 100 Objects
Biography

Adrian Hon is co-founder and CEO at Six to Start, creators of gamelike stories and story-like games including the world's bestselling smartphone fitness game, "Zombies, Run!" with ten million players. He's the author of A History of the Future in 100 Objects, a columnist at EDGE magazine, and has spoken at the flagship TED conference, the Long Now Foundation, GoogleX, and Disney Imagineering. Before becoming a game designer, Adrian was a neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at Cambridge, UCSD, and Oxford.

Adrian Vatchinsky

Technologist in Residence
e•a•t•} works
Biography

Currently Adrian is thinking of ways web3 can augment physical spaces in real life. Previously, Adrian has launched multiple startups, studied Physics in NYU, was a fellow at NASA JPL, and received a masters from Cornell Tech.

Sponsors

9/21/2022

Betaworks

You've Been Played! How Institutions Use Games to Control Us

Presented by

No items found.

Join us for a conversation with game designer Adrian Hon to celebrate the publication of You've Been Played. In the book, Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.

speakers

Adrian Hon

CEO, Six to Start
Author of You’ve Been Played and A History of the Future in 100 Objects
Biography

Adrian Hon is co-founder and CEO at Six to Start, creators of gamelike stories and story-like games including the world's bestselling smartphone fitness game, "Zombies, Run!" with ten million players. He's the author of A History of the Future in 100 Objects, a columnist at EDGE magazine, and has spoken at the flagship TED conference, the Long Now Foundation, GoogleX, and Disney Imagineering. Before becoming a game designer, Adrian was a neuroscientist and experimental psychologist at Cambridge, UCSD, and Oxford.

Adrian Vatchinsky

Technologist in Residence
e•a•t•} works
Biography

Currently Adrian is thinking of ways web3 can augment physical spaces in real life. Previously, Adrian has launched multiple startups, studied Physics in NYU, was a fellow at NASA JPL, and received a masters from Cornell Tech.

Schedule

No items found.

WHEN

Wednesday, September 21, 2022
6:30 pm

WHERE

Betaworks
29 Little West 12th Street
New York, NY 10014

Agenda

Tools
For
Thinking

How New Technologies are Changing How We Create, Share, and Build Knowledge

When

September 21, 2022
6:30 pm

Where

Betaworks, 29 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY, 10014
or livestream
Proof of Full Vaccination Required

RENDER is Over, but Camp is just beginning

We had some great speakers and participants turn out for Render, and we all got to participate in very interesting conversations. You can find recordings of all of our sessions below. If you're working on a Tool for Thinking and want to participate in our upcoming accelerator program, you can learn more here.

Building Bicycles for the Mind

Join us for a conversation with game designer Adrian Hon to celebrate the publication of You've Been Played. In the book, Hon delivers a blistering takedown of how corporations, schools, and governments use games and gamification as tools for profit and coercion. These are games that we often have no choice but to play, where losing has heavy penalties. You’ve Been Played is a scathing indictment of a tech-driven world that wants to convince us that misery is fun, and a call to arms for anyone who hopes to preserve their dignity and autonomy.

Speakers

Howard

Rheingold

Author
Tools for Thought
@hrheingold

Adrian

Hon

CEO, Six to Start
Author of You’ve Been Played and A History of the Future in 100 Objects
@adrianhon

Adrian

Vatchinsky

Technologist in Residence
e•a•t•} works
@AVatchinsky

Schedule

11:30 AM
Doors Open
12:00 PM
Welcome
with MC
12:10 PM – 12:20 PM
How Do We Define Tools for Thinking and Why Do They Matter?
Join Jerry Michalski and John Borthwick as they talk about their interest in tools for thinking, and what excites them the most about the future of the category.
12:20 PM – 12:50 PM
Inflection Points for Tools for Thinking
What are the key inflection points that will supercharge Tools for Thinking in the near future? How will new technologies, user metaphors, and funding models change how people build these tools? John Borthwick will be discussing how the landscape is changing with the co-founders of Readwise, Daniel Doyon & Tristan Homsi.
12:50 PM – 1:00 PM
Q+A
1:00 PM – 1:15 PM
Demo: Protocol Design for Tools for Thinking
Gordon Brander will be presenting a brief demo on Subconscious and the Noosphere, products he and his team are working on to allow Tools for Thinking to become interoperable and better connected.
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch and Networking
2:00 PM – 2:45 PM
The History and Future of Software as Tools for Thinking
Some of the earliest examples of software explored by pioneers like Doug Engelbart, JCR Licklider, Alan Turing, and others were at their core technologies that help magnify, inspect, and spread our ideas. Jerry Michalski will be sitting down (virtually) with Howard Rheingold, author of Tools for Thought, to explore the history and future of "mind-amplifying technology".
2:45 PM – 3:00 PM
Q+A
3:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Tools for Thinking Product Demos
We’ll hear from builders and thinkers deep in the space and get to take a look at what they’re working on. We’ll be checking out Plexus, Re:Collect, Jerry’s Brain, Subconscious and more. 
4:15 PM – 4:45 PM
Leveraging AI and ML in Building New Tools for Thinking
Alice Albrecht and Linus Lee will be sitting down with Chris Pedregal to discuss their work in leveraging AI and Machine Learning for creating new kinds of tools for thinking.
4:45 PM – 5:00 PM
Q+A
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM
Idea Dimensionality and Representing Semantic Meaning
How do ideas - and the human brains that make and hold them - interact?  Get prepared for meta! Esther Dyson and Jerry Michalski, will discuss the idea of how people work together to shape, compare, intertwine and ultimately produce multi-faceted ideas and multi-dimensional idea spaces.  As David Waltz (Thinking Machines) once said, “Words are not in themselves carriers of meaning, but merely pointers to shared understanding.” Watch and lob questions as the two of them try to build and share the idea of how better ideas can be developed through collaboration.
5:30 PM – 5:45 PM
Q+A
5:45 PM – 7:00 PM
Closing and Happy Hour

Proof of Full Vaccination Required

Betaworks requires all visitors to show proof of full vaccination to enter. No exceptions. Two ways that you can show proof:
  • Official vaccine card with at least 2 weeks having passed since the date of the last required dose (1 dose for J&J/AstraZeneca, 2 for Pfizer/Moderna)
  • An active digital pass such as the NY State Excelsior Pass or the CLEAR app
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