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.
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Episodes
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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.
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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.
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Episode 16: 5 Spiritual Lessons from Action Selection Games
October 16th, 2022 | 1 hr 7 mins
action selection, game theory, spiritual lessons
What are Action Selection games, and what can we learn from them about our spirituality?
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Episode 15: How Reality Is Broken and We Need More Games
October 2nd, 2022 | 1 hr 9 mins
book club, game break, game theory, happiness, neuropsychology
What does Jane McGonigal's Reality Is Broken say about games and human happiness? Defining a game and its sense of flow is key to understanding what creates human happiness.
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Episode 14: Judaism and Board Games, with Alex Radcliffe
September 18th, 2022 | 46 mins 49 secs
judaism, sabbath, world religions
Alex Radcliffe of BoardGameCo and GameFound helps us understand how board games and Sabbath practices function within Orthodox Judaism.
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Episode 13: How Board Games Can Be Transcendent
September 4th, 2022 | 1 hr 1 min
Can board games be transcendent, what are magic circles, and how does this get at religion and the spiritual life?
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Bonus: Thank You for 1,000 Downloads!
August 24th, 2022 | 48 secs
A brief thank you to our awesome listeners for this milestone of 1,000 downloads.
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Episode 12: 5 Spiritual Lessons from Push Your Luck Games
August 21st, 2022 | 1 hr 7 mins
parable, push your luck, quran
What are Push Your Luck games, and what might we spiritually gain from them? Daniel and Kevin discuss 5 ideas (+ a bonus), along with risk-taking in general. NOW WITH CHAPTER MARKERS!
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Episode 11: Can Board Games Save the World? With Dave Bindewald
August 7th, 2022 | 1 hr 2 mins
creation, curiosity, evil, interview, play, work
We interview Dave Bindewald, founder of the Center for Play and Exploration, on the question of whether board games can save the world – or at least help cultivate our "curiosity, divergent thinking, and freedom to fail." Games help us become better thinkers and problem solvers, colleagues, and participants in God's creative acts of creation.
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Episode 10: The Game of Life
July 24th, 2022 | 1 hr 3 mins
bernard suits, game theory, grace, grasshopper
We wrap up our discussion of Bernard Suits' seminal book The Grasshopper. What are the implications of approaching human life as a game? We unpack some of Suits' terms and ideas regarding utopia as a place where we only play games, and the threat that utopia is always under.
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Episode 9: Is Winning the Point?
July 10th, 2022 | 57 mins 36 secs
bernard suits, game theory, grace, grasshopper
Daniel and Kevin tackle the obvious question: is wining the point of playing games? How does a desire to win relate to the desire to have an enjoyable gaming experience, and what spiritual realities are present when we strive to be humble and gracious at a gaming table where the object is to win the game?
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Episode 8: Accessibility, Community, and Neurodiversity, with Chelsey Hillyer
June 26th, 2022 | 1 hr 12 mins
a gentle rain, azul, charterstone, gametek, jojo rabbit, life is beautiful, neurodiversity, no thanks!, pandemic
Rev. Chelsey Hillyer joins us to chat about creating accessibility around board games so everyone is welcome to be themselves, find satisfaction with their game play, and empowered to have fun. We discuss ADHD, games as protest, and how play can create deep presence and community.