Religion as a game
I wondered about this a long time now. Every time I play games I get a form of satisfaction. This satisfaction is accomplished in a virtual world using real effort. Games work, by definition, using game mechanics.
Game mechanics are a construct of rules intended to produce an enjoyable game or gameplay.
Usually, most games are known to be just 'games'. Nobody takes it as something that has notable consequences afterwards. Some of the more serious games could be sports ( they involve your body and ). Virtual games are games that are based within a virtual framework. They 'work' only inside that framework. I am sure you are familiar to modern video games. They are remarkable in the experience and satisfaction they offer to the player. Video game industry is one of the fastest growing form of entertainment.
As I have seen in a TED talk here, games can be used to motivate 'players' in real life by adding a virtual reward system that is contained in a game overlaid on top of reality. This system is currently under development and I am sure it will be very powerful as the smart devices ( e.g smartphones ) industry is getting bigger and bigger. The possibilities are very powerful. By associating any action with it's virtual counterpart situated inside the game, using a point-system that keeps track of your progress, you can empower an individual and motivate him. This can also be used, for example, in environmental issues, real social interactions, marketing, etc.
The thing about the game layer that is overlaid on top of the world is that every person knows it is not actually real. Not real in the sense that any action inside the game does not affect reality. Imagine a game that, somehow, convinced every player that everything that is happening in the game is real. How can you do something like that? If you base that game on a virtual device ( e.g. a computer ) people will realize it is not real because everything that is happening in the computer does not profoundly affect them ( e.g. a computer program cannot feed you ). You need a wider base. A base that can support the reality concept.
A base like the human mind. Everything inside our mind we consider it "real", but that is obviously uncertain, because every piece of data that enters our mind are coming from our native instruments, our eyes, ears, etc., and they cannot be 100% right ( see optical illusions ), thus they are uncertain. Reality, also, is a concept that lives purely in our minds.
If you could create a game that happened inside our mind, where our mind keeps the score, our mind knows or changes the rules, then you could get a satisfaction by achieving something inside that virtual world ( even though it doesn't usually influence reality ). That satisfaction could be even more amplified if that game has "real promises". If, in the game, you promise a real reward after achieving something inside it ( like in online poker ), you amplify the desire to play that game. If the promised reward is even greater than anything that is in reality, then the player will usually choose the game instead of reality. You can go in the other direction and impose a real penalty if you do not play the game, or you do not play it well, or you do not do a specific task, or if you break the rules of the game.
That would be a pretty captivating and powerful game. I wonder how could you even invent that game? Oh, I know! How about...
Religion! It is the best game you will ever play. Inside you mind, you will think that there is a God that watches you and changes every aspect of reality ( i.e. the virtual layer ), who imposed some rules that you have to follow ( game rules ), and if you don't respect them, after you die ( when it is "Game Over" ) you will either suffer an eternity a pain that cannot even be achieve in real life ( a negative punishment that is greater than any punishment possible -> infinity ). If you respect everything( play the game well ) you will go to heaven along with God and live for ever and ever in happiness so great that you cannot achieve it on earth ( positive reward that is greater than any reward possible -> infinity again ). The ancient holy texts contains all the game mechanics that fuel the game.
The best part is that you won't even know that you play a game -> game is confused with reality.
Now play the game! I heard it has the best graphics out there! It will be a blast!
Tags: game, heaven, hell, infinity, mechanics, reality, religion, rewards, virtual
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on -
Also, I can't find any other game that has the same characteristics of religion. If you think of any other one please do tell.
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on
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Agreed.
However, the game layer that Seth explained is not just a lonely progress bar. A progress bar just keeps progress, doesn't reward. If the reward is absent the experience drops dramatically. I think religion kinda gets this feeling ( i.e. you do not get your prayers answered so you do not get your reward ), but are motivated by social rewards ( by discussing God with their friends ), by perceptive rewards ( they read or hear about a miracle and hope it will someday happen to them ) or by the long run ( they have dedicated their entire life to their faith and are hoping for the promised eternity and perceive their lack of rewards as "tests of faith" ).
I must admit, religion, although not designed by someone or a group ( don't think it was a person that said: "Let's invent this game!", but a need for an 'explanation' ) , is a very captivating game. It was designed progressively in a sort of natural selection way ( the most reassuring ideas rose on top of the others ) and got to be a vaguely credible and reassuring story that people believe in.
It is hard to break the spell once you are in it. You can observe any person that is playing a game and is interrupted. Even more, a person that doesn't know it is a game.
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Permalink Reply by paula jucá on -
Me too.
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on
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Better look to the future than gaze into the past is what I say.
And, about the non-existing entity, he is 'real' for the player as much as a video game avatar is 'real' too. The only thing that makes it real is the interaction that you get with it. If he resides in your mind then you can feel an effect.
Imagination bonus: Imagine a high tech world that is abundant in digital sensors that pick up anything ( where you go, what you do, etc. ), of course with secure information, and actually keep track in many games that you play, or The Game. The Game would be the game you play your entire life. When you brush your teeth you get + 20 hygiene. If you brush them your whole week you get a 2X multiplier combo and so on. Actually that would motivate me. The social would be important because you will compare any achievement with your friends ( and you can actually use the game as proof for a certain achievement ). The Game would be a serious game that constructs a kind of "real avatar" that is overlaid on your own person.
WoW makes people do better, be more creative, more team-axed, more intelligent or, I might say, social, but ONLY in the game. Like I heard, the higher level is your WoW character the lower level is your real life character. If you could mix them both , you could tie the virtual char with the real self, i.e. when you level up any of the 2 characters the other one gets "leveled" as well.
The future of education will HAVE to be based on game mechanics.
Brainstorm.
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on
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To talk bad about the Holy Spirit. That sin is unforgivable Jesus says.
There are allot of rules that prevent you from leaving the game. You are not allowed to think bad thoughts. This is like communism censorship. For me, personally, the impediment in thinking is the worst part about this game.
So how does one set up a religious game that is not hooking the reward center too much?
If the reward wouldn't have been there it wouldn't be so captivating.
The association between pastors and rock starts is pretty accurate. Any pastor will try to proselytize about anybody, because they get great rewards when they do so ( common dogma: "When a non-believer turns to God, the whole heavens are celebrating." )
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Permalink Reply by Kris Feenstra on -
I accidentally created a religion out of Solitaire. It is complete with superstitions, hierarchies, moral obligations, and circular reasoning and tautology. It leads me to win less often, but be more content with the results. It's odd really, but I can't stop playing the game that way.
After I started to think more on my strange Solitaire habits, I began to realize how much my mindset related back to religion. The only real difference was that I knew, rationally, that all of the religious rules I applied to the game weren't real; they just fulfilled some personal desire for the game to be elevated from it's boring reality.
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on
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Interesting. Would you mind explaining the "additional rules" that you applied to your solitaire game?
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Permalink Reply by Loop Johnny on
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I am now the Flying Spaghetti Monster! I have received your prayers Fred! What do you require from your creator? *
* dramatic voice
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