Play Saves the World

Episode 28: Spiritual Lessons of Negotiation Games

April 16th, 2023  |  54 mins 52 secs

game theory, negotiation games, spiritual lessons

What are the spiritual lessons of negotiation games where players must negotiate with one another? We discuss how these sorts of games (Settlers of Catan, for example) create fun around the table, along with understanding others and ourselves.

Check out details of our upcoming Instagram contest in the description!

Episode 27: Colonialism in Board Games (AV Club #2)

April 2nd, 2023  |  58 mins 53 secs

a/v club, colonialism, game theory, war gaming

How do colonialist themes impact board games of the past and present? Daniel and Kevin discuss a relevant YouTube video panel discussion from the Homo Ludens channel.

Episode 26: Board Games and Buddhism, with Takuya Ono

March 19th, 2023  |  35 mins 50 secs

buddhism, house of worship, practice

Board Games and Buddhism, with Japanese Buddhist temple master Takuya Ono! Japanese Buddhist priest and temple master Ono-san discusses board games in Japan, his life as an abbot (or jushoku) in Japan, and how Buddhism and board games have intersected in the past and present.

Episode 25: Reflections on Teaching a College Class on Board Gaming

March 5th, 2023  |  52 mins 21 secs

bernard suits, game theory, mcgonigal, teaching

Kevin reflects on his experience teaching a college class on board game theory and religion. He and Daniel unpack what he's learned from the experience of selecting material, teaching game mechanisms, and exploring game theory.

Episode 24: 5 Spiritual Lessons from Cooperative Board Games

February 19th, 2023  |  53 mins 41 secs

cooperative games, spiritual lessons

What are some spiritual lessons from cooperative board games? We define board games and describe 5 important spiritual ideas from cooperative games.

Episode 23: Board Games as Devotion, with Daniel Thurot

February 5th, 2023  |  1 hr 2 mins

devotion, game theory, mormonism, representation

Daniel Thurot of Space-Biff! discusses board games as devotion and religious exploration, Mormonism, and religious identity.

Episode 22: The Medieval Book of Games

January 22nd, 2023  |  55 mins 41 secs

christianity, history, islam

We examine the medieval Book of Games, King Alfonso of Spain's 1283 book about chess, dice games, and board games like Backgammon. There are rich insights here into medieval and modern board games.

Episode 21: How To Start a Board Game Group at Your House of Worship

January 8th, 2023  |  56 mins 49 secs

gaming group, house of worship

How to start a board game group at your church, temple, mosque, or house of worship? Daniel and Kevin share their experiences and ideas on the how and why of board game groups at places of worship.

Episode 20: A Muslim Perspective on Representation in Gaming, and on Jesus Christ

January 1st, 2023  |  1 hr 15 mins

islam, representation

Our second discussion with Ali Karar, a Muslim living and board gaming in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ali shares his view on representation in board gaming and how to make it better, along with how Muslims view Jesus Christ.

Episode 19: Enemies of Board Gaming (A/V Club)

December 11th, 2022  |  1 hr 11 mins

a/v club, gaming

A list of a list! We discuss the YouTube Dice Tower video, "Top 10 Enemies of Gaming" (link below), and draw a top 5 perils list around hobby board gaming.

Episode 18: Reality Is Broken! So let's play games that promote positive psychology and collaboration

November 13th, 2022  |  1 hr 7 mins

book club

We dive into Kate McGonigal's book Reality Is Broken, chapters 10 and 13, where she discusses how games can promote positive psychological research (human happiness and flourishing) and collaboration.

Episode 17: Interview with Adrian Adamescu

October 30th, 2022  |  1 hr 6 mins

board game theory, christian, church, creation, designer

We interview Adrian Adamescu (designer of Sagrada, Dice Theme Park, Creatures & Cupcakes) about his life of board game design and faith – how growing up in Romania, Germany, and now living in Canada, along with his faith experiences along the way, have impacted his thoughts on life, religion, and game design.