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Buddhist Games - Views and advice needed.
Hi every one, this is my first post on New buddhists forum and hopefully the first of many !
So im sitting with a few friends today discussing the idea of buddhist iphone / ipod touch apps, from meditation timers to literal games based on buddhist believes etc.
One of my friends is a keen game programer and was tossing around the idea of creating a platform based game where you could perhaps play as a little illustrated monk or even the Buddha, methodically working your way through this puzzle perhaps in the aim of acquiring 'pearls of wisdom' or some-sort of end goal that would level the character up in the sense of taking him further in his journey of enlightenment perhaps as you 'level up' you would be rewarded with a quote or thought thats unlocked with the level as result of acquiring this 'pearl of wisdom'...
Basically were keen little techies in search of our new pet project and would love to try and link our growing passions for game design and buddhism. But im the skeptical one in the group, never wanting to offend. I wanted to see what people would think of playing buddhist/buddha based games and see if they had any feelings on our rough concept as to weather it could offend or be embraced, as many religious games have already been across the globe ! If there an app to play as Noah rounding up animals in to the ark is there good reason as to why there shouldn't be one letting you travel with buddha on his path to enlightenment ?
Thanks for any feed back. Callum.
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Comments
I wish could find it but there was some cartoon where someone was playing a Buddhist video game and as he gained levels he got rid of items instead of aquiring them and I think the objective was to just sit there or something.
You might also have a divergance of story including dialogue trees. A choice could result in different karmic outcomes.
you could easily use kasinas and explain people how to use them (how to focus|) and what can happen etc...
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/message/102060
(kasina = focussing on an external object as opposed to the breath.)
and you already have all of your levels defined if you use the first vipassana map of insights.
16 insights in order, each one being a level, that give you a chance to explain what they are, what is happening, the implications of each insights...
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/dharma-wiki/-/wiki/Main/MCTB;jsessionid=724101A9433ABCC269CB73F7CA399CE0?p_r_p_185834411_title=MCTB
but if you choose to do the latter, which would be fascinating experiment,it would require you to secure an expert in the field willing to spend alot of time explaining to you what everything is...
maybe get in touch with someone like jack kornfield who could then recommand someone else that is qualified, or go here
http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/
and ask around in the forum, you may find an expert willing to guide you trhough all of it.
visually represent dependant origination
(you could make a mini-game/level out of every stages)
how to express the first stage visually in a game?
maybe you need to catch light rays with the eye of the character type of thing.
very simple and informative
Mahasi vipassana technique.
basically the player has to note (click everything) that comes up.
could be preceded by a period of time where the user have to concentrate and reach access concentration first.
so the player focus on a object (breath) have have to note everything that attracts his attention.
perhaps begin easily with sounds (a bird fly by), mosquitos...
then get trickier when the body begin to protest (all kind of irritations, pains, thoughts)
the player would have to note(click) on them all before there are too many and the meditator lose his concentrations.
things will slow down after the first storm where the body eventually settles, the the interesting things to note start to come.
like mental states, strong emotions, stuff from the past, vibrating sensations, moods etc...
all of this stuff could be illustrated very elegantly and artistically and would be fun!!
things could get creative visually after every levels, like the first level when the meditator just sit down, everything is clear and bright, but after he past the stages of sounds and similar things, the edge of the game could get darker, like getting more and more concentrated and in the zone, every stages getting more and more tunneled vision...
lots of opportunities to add many informative notes before or after the levels etc...
mahasi vipassana method:
http://www.buddhanet.net/imol/pracexer.htm
you get more modern interpretations on the links i posted in my fist reply
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5th idea
same as the mahasi game but with Goenka body scanning technique.
adding the body scanning would change the game entirely..
i have all these ideas because i considered doing some kind of meditation games myself, but the efforts necessary to get the knowledge to do it was not worth it for me..
and the challenge would be great since it can ramp up.
going up in the stages, you have to note specific things long enough to have the insight, then you go to next level...
also you could have some kind of boss thing at the end of some levels,
like the dark knight stages (dissolution, fear, misery, disgust, desire for delivrance)...
you could have great scary shadow figures to represent fear, which would make everything dark and difficult for the player...
and since the concentration is getting more difficult in those stages, this would add to the difficulty as well.
(you would need to develop some kind of concentration mini game that would be there for the whole game, something that is always there and you always go back to,
like follow the breath which is moving up and down (slowly), but perhaps if there are too many distractions, the breath accelerate and it become more difficult to follow, and the sensation of the breath become smaller so you have to be more precise, and during the dark knight stages, the concentration become different since you need to observe the periphery of it instead of the center etc...)
also since the path cycle, you can have an overall thing where you have to cycle through the insights (and gain enough points?) in order to finish the path (game)
Sit in a close circle with as many players as desired. Take turns asking each other koans. If they get it wrong, hit them with a stick.
@Lincoln we need a stick beating emoticon! :rarr: