Film Project | The Children's Story Project | Model Community and Resource Center

On Wings of a Dream: Interactive Adventure Games

We all love to play mystery games, go on adventures, or other activities we consider fun as a way of distracting ourselves from “real life.” But what if the life we consider real is really a distraction from the authentic journey? Perhaps our souls are naturally drawn to playful or recreational experiences because we are free from the shoulds that block natural creativity and expression of our pure joy. This pure joy, the ability to laugh and be light hearted, are the elements of present moment connection to the source. Look at the words used to describe these experiences, recreational activities could also be looked at as ways of being that allow us to re-create ourselves in the moment. We also describe experiences where we take a break from being serious as light hearted. Wouldn’t it make sense to spend more time with our hearts full of light?

The adventure game project is about creating dynamic vehicles for transformation of consciousness through joyful play. As indigenous cultures have taught us, the world is as we dream it. If the dream has become a nightmare it is up to us to change the dream.

Why play and why joy? Joy is the conduit through which our hearts most easily communicate with the divine. When we are joyful we attract people & information, and we become an open invitation for the magic of the universe to be expressed through us. Lasting transformations in consciousness naturally flow out of and are inspired by joy. Fear, guilt, shame, anger and the sense of responsibility can only motivate a person for so long and then comes the burn out from energy that gets blocked.

Children learn at a rapid rate, much faster than adults learn. Partly this is because much of what they are learning is through play. Often times there isn’t a sense of failing if we don’t do it right, because it is just a game. That doesn’t mean that children don’t take games seriously or try to do their best. Children have an innate desire to learn to master their environments, they just haven’t taken on all of the rules about what is and isn’t possible. Somehow as adults we resist trying new things or to approach a situation in a different way because we are afraid of doing it wrong. When we are playing we have permission to let down our guards and be silly, to do things that otherwise wouldn’t be condoned as being serious and responsible adults. Play in the context of this project is about experimenting with new ways of being, just not from a place of being “serious”. Nevertheless, the messages conveyed through the experience are extremely effective.

We are writing a new story, creating a new dream that will take us forward to the realization of our highest potentials, individually and collectively. By playing out different scenarios and trying out new ways of being with each other, we get to feel what is possible when we can operate outside of the prescribed boundaries.

Adventure games also teach participants to be more observant, to pay attention for “clues” or information from the universe. Indigenous cultures talk about changing the dream to one that respects all of life, and they also say that “developed” countries have lost their powers of observation about what is always being communicated through non-human beings and elements. Some of us are so far removed from being present in our place and paying attention that to try and overlay indigenous practices is too foreign or daunting of a task. Adventure games engage participants in familiar settings and incorporate aspects of life that people easily relate to. It takes it out of the realm of trying to return to a way of life that seems distant and unrecoverable. It also makes it less serious in its tone. We are working for a real change, just not through a discipline that is so serious that people get shut down in the process trying to do it right and not having the context for understanding what they are doing.

As a result of participating in these adventures individuals may go on to seek deeper understandings of the new ways of being they have begun to play with.

Hopefully, the aspects that were enjoyed in the game become part of the bigger adventure, our lives. Those aspects are first and foremost being present and paying attention; being adventurous; taking risks; trusting other people and asking for help; being silly and having fun with people; and working as a team because we know that each of us only has part of the information.

Film Project |The Children's Story Project  | Model Community and Resource Center