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Integral Research
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Press Play to Grow!
How Could Video Games be Designed to Facilitate
Personal and Spiritual Growth?
A Mixed Methods and Integral Study |
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Introduction & Discussion
As odd or paradoxical as it may seem, could video games be really designed to facilitate personal and spiritual growth?
Well… why not?
If books related to self-help, personal improvement and spiritual growth have been best sellers for several years; if millions of dollars have been spent in all kinds of communication media and storytelling tools related to inner development - such as audio books, talk shows, web applications and all kinds of therapeutic workshops, lectures and classes; if movies, stories and plays have been already used for many therapeutic purposes, why not video games?
Why not video games, given their potential to act as powerful vehicles of entertainment and mass communication that could potentially embrace and integrate all kinds of media into effective developmental “packages” skillfully designed to catalyze inner growth?
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Video games as proactive "Trojan Horses" of inner growth
Like positive and proactive "Trojan Horses" of inner growth, these new video games would purposefully take into account at least one or more of the basic multi-dimensional realities that compose our daily life - some aspects which are categorically mapped in Integral theory's AQAL and Integral Play - and subtly (or surreptitiously) explore their full potentialities of growth through various kinds of developmental concepts, practices and ideas.
Furthermore, to the extent that a video game would satisfy, support and challenge different players in relation to as many aspects of their lifes as possible, the better, more complete, developmentally significant, attractive and “acceptable” these video games would be to the general population. That would also include spreading their popularity into a broader range of players and hence becoming even more profitable in the market.
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Further thoughts: A leap into the future
As different leading thinkers such as Ray Kurzweil (2008) and Ken Wilber (2008) suggest by looking ahead into the next decades of expected exponential technological growth, we are still in the baby steps in terms of developing more advanced artificial intelligence and direct human-cybernetic interfaces, although we are definitely moving towards that goal.
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Research results and practical applications
As a result of this preliminary 8-month mixed-methods research, the potentials of video games for facilitating personal and spiritual growth were not only confirmed, but also deepened and expanded into powerful and useful video game design ideas, insights, concepts and practices.
Data showed that there could actually be a fairly good market for those kinds of video games. Their creation would require intentional shifts in some of the current paradigms, worldviews and patterns of video game design. Part of these shifts would include video game designers purposefully applying some of the basic concepts covered by developmental psychology and the integral model - such as personal and spiritual growth theories and practices - in their overall design process.
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Articles & Abstracts
|Large size research abstract. (700 words)
|Short size research abstract. (100 words)
|Research summary article for John F. Kennedy's University newsletter.
|Article† on computer graphics for Digital Designer Magazine.
† Press report from the Game Developers Conference 2008
Digital Designer is the biggest computer graphics magazine in Brazil (article translated into portuguese)
|Research definitions of personal and spiritual growth.
|A word of caution and further reflections
|Bibliography used in this research.
Empirical Analysis -
Survey results, analysis & discussion
| Survey open-ended responses
| Survey link
Note:
The Empirical Analysis methodology including the survey presented above were part of a mixed-methods research application of six different and complementary methodologies, following the contemporary Integral Methodology Pluralism approach.
The other five methodologies (Phenomenology, Structuralism, Hermeneutics, Ethnomethodology and Systems Analysis) will be gradually posted in this website, including the complete research paper (200+ pages).
Contemporary video games presenting realistic screen shots
Mass Effect, Halo 3, Final Fantasy XIII |
Contemporary video games containing spiritual, moral, artistic and social aspects
Journey of the Wild Divine, Bioshock, Rock Band, Second Life |
Integral Theory articles
| Integral Theory and AQAL Model
Brief descriptions and examples
| Integral Play Theory
Brief descriptions and examples based on AQAL
Integral Theory and AQAL diagrams from Integral Institute, 2003 |
Audio files
Hermeneutic Analysis
Discussion #1: Ken Wilber & Moses Silbiger
AQAL Journal conference call on Integral Psychology †
February 23rd, 2008
| Click here to listen to the discussion (45 min)
† Note: Due to the academic content of the interview, a previous knowledge of
Integral Theory and AQAL (Wilber, 2007) related to developmental psychological levels
would facilitate the comprehension of this discussion.
Click here to know more about Integral Theory and AQAL.
Conferences and Lectures
Some of the insights and results from this research were (or will be) presented at various conferences:
Integral Theory Conference
John F. Kennedy University and Integral Institute - Pleasant Hill, CA (August 2008).
Games + Learning + Society 4.0 Conference
University of Wisconsin-Madison - Madison, Wisconsin (July 2008).
Meaningful Play 2008 Conference
Michigan State University - Lansing, Michigan (upcoming October 2008).
Awards
Honorable mention in the Integral Research category (Integral Theory Conference, 2008).
Publications
Paper posted at KenWilber.com - Guest Blog according to Ken Wilber's generous offer:
Press Play to Grow! Designing Video Games as “Trojan Horses” to Catalyze Human Development through the Conveyor Belt of Growth (by Moses Silbiger)
Article published in John F. Kenedy University Newsletter - Summer 2008 (upcoming).
Article published in Digital Designer Magazine (GDC 2008), Brazil, July 2008 issue.
Interview with Ken WiIlber on the Integral Life and Integral Naked websites (upcoming).
 See more details about Video Games and Human Development at the website PressPlaytoGrow.com, including Blog, Forums, Downloads, Papers, Articles, Game & Media Analysis, Interviews, Discussions, and much more!
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