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 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 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 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?

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.

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.

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?

Episode 7: Book Club! The Grasshopper ch. 3 and Defining Games

June 12th, 2022  |  55 mins 54 secs

bernard suits, book club, delight, game theory, obstsacles, quran

What is a game, and why might it matter? Suits says that games are "the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles,"
and we mull over this, along with wondering if there is any basis for thinking God delights in games too.

Episode 4: Book Club! The Grasshopper by Bernard Suits ch. 1

May 1st, 2022  |  52 mins 49 secs

bernard suits, game theory, grasshopper, sabbath

Are $5K board gaming tables worth it? And what do we make of Bernard Suits' book The Grasshopper ch. 1, where the Grasshopper gladly dies in the winter for having played too many games?