Over at CNet News, Daniel Terdiman has an interesting interview with 42 Entertainment's Jane McGonigal, talking about her previous and new ARG projects.

As for what she's up to next: "I'm collaborating with the Institute for the Future, which creates forecasts about future society based on their research into signal phenomena and emerging trends now. They have a project where they create "artifacts from the future"--the future everyday objects that you might use or encounter in daily life... I'm going to be creating playable experiences that you can try now to emulate the things we'll be doing in the future." Sounds... clever!

Also asked the somewhat wacky question: 'Is Nintendo's Wii good for democracy?', she suggests: "What I like about the Wii is that it appeals to nongamers. And so it's increasing the pool of people who interact with game systems, giving them a pleasurable and positive experience of interacting with a video game machine. Why is this good for democracy? Well, such participation is really satisfying. You see your impact immediately in the games." [Jane's blog also points out a new Contra Costa Times profile.]