Discussion of the how, what, where, why, and when of Spiritual Gaming is easy — when it is framed in a practical, problem-solving context.
It is only when pressed to define “gaming” and “spiritual” in the abstract that the wicket get sicky. Every direction one begins leads to painting the discussion in a corner. Thus, unless there are cogent reasons that dictate otherwise I say “gaming” and “spiritual” to be taken in the widest possible terms.
For example, here is a short list of games which I’ve experienced first hand as spiritual tools: “Bardo Safari, Black Jack, Black Box, Chess, Craps, Capture the Flag, Dungeon & Dragons, Diablo LOD, Bridge, Poker, Fish, Dungeon Party, Ghost, Go, ManKala, Monotony, Zelda I, Zelda III, Non-competitive sports, Perquacky, Quake, Super Game, Team Fortress, Monopoly, Rise of the Triad, Wolfenstein, and UnReal.” Are there more examples that work for “Spiritual Gaming?” You betcha. The list is large – very large.
Are there games that are not on this list? Yes. tens of thousands of games have been found to be unsuitable. We won’t mention them at the moment since nothing would be served by pointing a finger at a few games. It would be unfair if taken out of context.
What about this “spiritual” stuff? What kinds of activities and goals would fall into the domain of spiritual? Not gonna say. If you have zero notion of what spiritual means now would be a good time for you to do a little home work.
What do we mean by “spiritual?” What limited perspective of the definition of spiritual do we adhere to? Not gonna say. I have zero interest in converting you to anything. Have zero interest in a spiritual pissing contest about whose is more valid or big or can beat the other’s dad up.
So why using gaming to explore the spiritual thing that you won’t define?
Because it works.
Why use gaming?
An understanding of what works about a game can be very useful when trying to extend a games breadth and reach. But to do this requires a specific game and a specific discussion.
Without such focus the discussion is complex beyond belief. With the focus of practical questions about a particular game the discussion becomes much simpler to explore.
This is yet another example of how practical application can provide a forum of exploration.