Memorandum

To: EKU Honors Program

From: Kaitlyn VanWay, EKU undergraduate student
Date: September 15, 2020
Re: Recommendation for Chautauqua Lecture Series Keynote Speakers

As you may know, I have been selected to help the Chautauqua Lecture Series Coordinator and
Committee decide between two potential keynote speakers. After careful consideration, I have
summarized each speaker’s message below and recommend Gabe Zichermann as the speaker
that I believe would be best suited to present at this year’s Chautauqua Lecture Series.

The first speaker I reviewed was Jane McGonigal, a game designer, whose 2010 TED
Conference speech was entitled “Gaming Can Make a Better World.” McGonigal presents the
idea that increased video game playing can help solve major world problems in the upcoming
century. This centers around the idea that many gamers spend 10,000+ hours before they are 21
playing video games, which makes them virtuosos. McGonigal concludes that gamers who
believe they can change the real world in addition to virtual ones, then video games will help
make a better world.

The second speaker I reviewed was Gabe Zichermann, an author and the chair of the
Gamification Summit, whose 2011 TEDxKids speech was entitled “How Games Can Make Kids
Smarter.” His speech centers on how kids gain multitasking skills by gaming, and they develop
this by doing an activity they are interested in. For support, he references elementary school
teacher Ananth Pai, who developed a game-based curriculum for his students. This helped them
improve their math and language skills by making learning fun. Finally, he introduces the idea of
“gamification,” which is when different aspects of life incorporate “game thinking” and turn
negative feedback loops into positive feedback loops.

After carefully comparing these two speakers, I have decided to recommend Gabe Zichermann.
His speech was better explained and more grounded in research. Additionally, his presentation
was more confident and put together. Finally, his content is more appealing to college students
and faculty alike.

Thank you for allowing me to make this recommendation.