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What if video games could teach us to be more grounded? by Justin Hall The
Journey to Wild Divine, a new adventure game series that teaches
self-awareness through biofeedback and visualization, turns the quest
for calm into entertainment. The
Passage, the first game in the series, allows you to hook yourself up
to your computer and use your energy levels and breathing patterns to
make stuff happen. As you
journey through the mystical lands of The Wild Divine – graphically
dazzling world of mammoth palaces, sacred temples, soothing waterfalls,
spiritual guides, and entrancing gardens – a door won’t open unless you
raise your energy level to break the seal, and a fire burns in a
fireplace only if you light it by calming yourself. Basically,
you navigate this mythical realm with the power of your thoughts. All
the action takes place thanks to special biofeedback sensors. Three
“Magic Rings” attach to your fingertips to measure your energy level –
specifically, your skin response level (fluctuations in electrical
resistance associated with your emotional changes) and your heart rate.
But
instead of taking a lie-detector test, you’re actually playing the game
with those biological functions: The sensors share their data with the
game software, which translates it into activity on-screen. Controlling
your breath is a key part of the adventure: Breathing rapidly gives a
quick boost to your energy level, while breathing more slowly and
smoothly lowers it. In the
context of the game, you can practice energy awareness with amusement
and see its effects immediately. You experience something of a
breakthrough the first time you stare at the screen and realize you can
affect the action without moving a finger. For
anyone accustomed to working on a computer – or tapping frantically on
the button of a video game control pad, for that matter – sitting
completely still in front of the machine and interacting with objects
on-screen seems like magic. As you undertake Wild Divine’s version of
the hero’s journey and progress through the many realms of the game by
successfully negotiating its challenges, you become more skilled at
modulating your energy. And
that is the primary aim of the game, although in The Passage, the
objective at hand it to pass the Tower of Legends and reach the Murdias
River Bridge. (In the next installment.. players will cross that bridge
and visit the Realm of Amplified Power and Wisdom). The
Journey to Wild Divine offers rich visual stimulation laced liberally
with Eastern flavors but tasting of no spiritual sensibility in
particular. At times, the gumbo can be slightly jarring: Ornate hot-air
balloons rise over Egyptian gondolas; you’re asked to hold a tranquil
mind state while staring at a pulsing waterfall surrounded by Huichol
yarn paintings and vibrant lotuses; standing near an onion domed
temple, you can conjure up NASA picture of the Bubble Nebula. Tibetan
monks, charkas, snowy hawks, Hindu dancers, glowing wolves: A dense,
eclectic mix of symbols is applied to the search for enlightenment.
You’re not going to learn any particular deep lessons about meditation
with this; ultimately the game is less about the theory of mind
stilling and more about the practice of becoming calm. In
that sense, it really works. As a rather hyperactive computer
entertainment aficionado, I found the Wild Divine puzzles that require
calmness or a steady energy level to be most challenging – and most
rewarding. You
hold your breath steady to wake a sleeping priestess and relax yourself
to bring a nearby boat to shore. As the game progresses, you’re asked
to create near comatose levels of calm. Most
desktop computers represent speed and productivity – we sit in a
rolling chair as we use them, leaning forward, actively clicking,
communicating, reading, writing, or crunching numbers. It
feels truly novel to be sitting in that same chair, facing that same
screen, and yet be focused instead on slowing down and finding harmony.
On the face of it, it’s laughable to find yourself getting close to
sleep in front of your computer on purpose. But
after a session with Wild Divine, I felt happily, almost
inappropriately relaxed at my desk, and later – in stressful situations
– I found myself thinking about the techniques for calming my mind that
had worked in the game. Yes,
it’s terrifically gratifying to be able to float a feather on-screen
while sitting still; for someone accustomed to (or even just curious
about) a meditation practice, it’s fun to see the immediate results of
controlling your mind. But
perhaps the highest calling for Wild Divine is this: It trains us to
relax our bodies and mind in our thoroughly modern situations. ~ ~ ~ |
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