About the show
We explore the intersection of board games, religious faith, and spirituality with the verve and ironic hilarity of the 21st century. The co-hosts are Christian pastors who ask, what does it mean theologically that we as humans like to play games? Be ready for deep thoughts, dad jokes, and board game obsession.
Board Game Faith on social media
Episodes
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Episode 29: State of the Podcast: We Look Back and Look Forward
April 30th, 2023 | 43 mins 24 secs
podcasting
Daniel and Kevin discuss downloads stats for this INTERCONTINENTAL INTERFAITH podcast, including top episodes and downloads by county and US state. They reminisce about favorite moments of Board Game Faith and name some future hopes for the podcast and our mission.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.