Cover -- Contents -- Introduction -- About this Book -- References -- Part I - Role‐Play and Spirituality -- The Epiphany Experiment -- Introduction -- The Genesis of Epiphany -- International Larp in the 2010s: A Convergence of Trends -- Spiritual Yearning and Epiphany -- Setting the Ritual Stage -- Design Pillars of Epiphany -- 1) The setting was based loosely upon Mage: the Ascension 1st Edition (1994) -- (2) The larp featured consent‐based mechanics -- a player‐driven plot -- and collaborative storytelling -- (3) The larp featured black box play and player‐run avatars -- (4) The larp emphasized What You See is What You Get (WYSIWYG) and What You Know is What You Know (WYKIWYK) -- (5) The character sheets and game activities were collaboratively co‑created between players and game masters with a focus on personal beliefs, experiences, and ritual practices -- (6) Our safety structures emphasized check‐ins, consent negotiations, and debriefing. -- Personal Gnosis: The Epiphany Experiment in Action -- Caveats and Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Play to Find Yourself -- What is Spiritual Direction? -- Incorporating RPGs into Spiritual Direction -- The Magic Circle -- Working with Dreamchaser -- Working with Fantastic Characters -- The Importance of Enhancing the Magic Circle -- Mechanics Matter -- Appendix A -- S1 Literal -- S2 -- S3 -- S4 -- S5 -- S6 -- S6+ -- S +1 -- Penultimate Session -- Final Session -- Appendix B: One Page Game Summaries -- References -- The Hunter Will Take You -- The World of Curious Pastimes: A Functional Definition of LARP -- Live Action Role Play as Ritual: A Critical Definition of LARP -- How is LARP Similar to Religion? -- The Religion of the Algaians -- In‑Game Religion as a Way of Reflecting on the World -- References -- Part IIa ‐ Practice: Game Design -- Conjuring The Witch's Way -- Introduction.

What Magic Is This? -- Magic is Being in Harmony with (One's True) Nature -- The Four Technologies of Magic to Transform Ourselves and Our Environment -- The Witch's Way as Structured Game Design -- Game Design as Spiritual Practice -- Finding the Mythical in the Personal -- Guided by Animals -- The Importance of Humor -- Enacting the Transformative Spiral -- Conclusion -- Acknowledgements -- References -- Practicing Dying -- Introduction -- Being Alive Is a Temporary State -- Fear the Reaper -- Death Anxiety -- Facing My Own End -- Nordic Larp -- Alibi -- Immersion -- Bleed -- The Transformational Potential of Role‐Playing Games -- How I have Practiced Dying -- Just a Little Lovin' (Edland/Grasmo 2011) -- Conscience -- Legion -- Integrating My Play Experiences -- How My Experience Informs My Work as a Designer -- The Norwegian Prine Trilogy -- The Mountain/If I Could See Your Face Again -- The Good Life at the End of the Road -- References -- Part IIb - Practice: Research -- Exploring Applications of Videogame Magic through Tumblr's Pop Culture Witchcraft -- Introduction -- Sympathetic Magic -- The Published History of Wicca and Buckland's Approach to Magic -- Making Magic from Wicca's Inclusivity Issues -- "It's a Hellsite, But It's Our Hellsite" -- Paganism on Tumblr -- "You're Gunna Have a Bad Time Curse": Pop Culture Witchcraft on Tumblr -- Conclusion -- References -- Where the Magic is -- Introduction -- Magic(k), Solo Practice and Communal Paths -- Rituals in Ceremonial Magic -- Myth as Narrative -- Embodiment -- Performative -- Metamorphosis -- Liminality -- Drawing Parallels -- Design Pillars of an MR Experience -- Orientation -- Transitions -- Enaction -- Meaning‐Making -- A Note on Immersion -- Concluding Remarks -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix -- References -- Part IIIa ‐ Videogames: Experience -- I Believe in Videogames -- Introduction.

The Spiritual Experience -- Spirituality, Play, and Videogames -- The Need for an I‑Voice in Game Studies -- My Play Experience of Everybody's Gone to the Rapture -- Conclusion -- References -- Fittingly Violent -- Motivation -- Trivialization -- Dehumanization -- Moralization -- Problematization -- Fascination, terror, and morality -- Final thoughts -- References -- Part IIIb - Videogames: Perspective -- Spes Ultra Codicem -- The Ontological Status of Digital Games: Multimedia Interactive Operas -- Two Clarifications on the Spiritual Approach and on Conscious Gaming -- The Peculiarity of the Question: Ravel Puzzlewell's Riddle -- The Sea of Doors and the "Human Without Destiny": Spiritual Approach in Conscious Gaming -- Digital Sublime and Cyberpunk: Ultra‐Material as Door to the Transcendent -- Neo‐Humanism in Beyond Earth -- Conclusion -- References -- Sacred Places and Spatial Design in Fantasy‐themed Isometric cRPGs -- Introducing the Spiritual Spatiality -- Sacred City, Sacred Architecture -- Sacred Nature, Sacred Landscape -- Conclusion -- References -- Franchised Esotericism -- Introduction -- Assassin's Creed's Crowd -- Assassin's Creed's Crowd's Creeds -- Alternative Creeds -- How Will I Address This Question? -- How Does AC Present Religion? -- Perennially -- Esoterically -- Conclusion: Franchised Perennial Esotericism -- References -- Part IIIc - Videogames: From the East -- Ex Anankes -- Introduction -- Saint Seiya as a Syncretic Narrative of the Sacred Between Greece and Japan -- Epic, Myths, Fairy Tales, and Bildungsromane -- Of Gods and Men, Their Narrative Functions, and Their Syncretic Features -- Non Plus Ultra? On Limits and Liminality -- Adventures, Chance, Destiny, and Necessity -- Even Buddha Must Die: Narratives, Gameplay and Syncretic Necessities -- Closing Remarks -- References.

"At the Same Time ... Both Truth and Fiction" -- References -- Religion and Spirituality in NieR: Automata -- Introduction -- The Role of Divinity: A Narrative Frame -- The Difficult Relationship with the Divine: Betrayals and Imitations -- Redemption and Sacrifice: The Self and the Other -- Restore Humanity: Beyond Illusions -- Conclusion -- References -- PartIIId - Videogames: The Case Study of Dragon Age -- Negotiating Spiritual Uncertainty through the Lens of Videogames -- Introduction -- Knowable Divinity -- Religious Uncertainty in the Dragon Age Series -- Spirituality and Society in Analogue: A Hate Story and Hate Plus -- Conclusion -- References -- Religion According to Bioware -- Videogames and Reality -- Videogames and Religion -- Dragon Age: Inquisition -- The Masks of the Player -- Player as an Explorer -- Player as a Director -- Player as a Reader -- Niniam Smart's Dimensions of Religion -- Religious Dimensions in Dragon Age: Inquisition -- The Social Dimension -- The Mythological Dimension -- The Ethical Dimension -- The Doctrinal Dimension -- The Emotional Dimension -- The Material Dimension -- The Ritual Dimension -- Conclusion -- References -- Light, Blood, Stone, and Order -- Religion, Influence, and Society -- Religion and the Religious in Games -- Emotional Entanglements and Experiences with Games -- Methods -- Findings and Analysis -- Game Content -- The Religious Landscape of Thedas -- Religion and Social Tension Through Narrative -- Player Content -- Player Capital Inside and Outside of the Game -- Religion as a Tool -- Conclusion -- References -- Part IV - Concluding thoughts -- Unlocking the Spiritual Potential of Games.