“The true purpose of Zen is to see things as they are, to observe things as they are, and to let everything go as it goes. Zen practice is to open up our small mind.” -Shunryu Suzuki

I thought I’d stick to the theme of games this week, and add in some applied Zen; of particular interest to some more than others, perhaps.

I can’t claim to be an expert on the gaming world, but as Kelly McGonigal argues, it’s certainly an interesting trend in the world today. Southard, however, aims to apply Zen lessons to improving the skills of gamers, and to encourage electronic sports (as he refers to them) to go mainstream.

It’s a fun idea, and the book is structured to appeal to gamers, with each chapter (a level) focused on giving specific stat increases and abilities to the reader. The result is engaging for gamers, but risks being a bit less appealing to non-gamers. Still, the attempt to apply the lessons of Zen to a modern activity is interesting, and the book is a relatively light read, albeit while providing the opportunity for reflection, as any good book on Zen requires.

I found particularly interesting his chapter on Awareness, a fairly standard first step in meditation practice. Southard suggests applying the same to gaming; instead of getting sucked into the game and falling victim to instinctive fight or flight reactions, he advises gamers to keep a part of themselves back, to note when they’re falling into bad patterns of behaviour and to enact changes as necessary. Gamers may be in particular need of this advice (I’m looking at you, people who die from exhaustion while gaming), but I suspect it’s good advice for everyone, ensuring that we not just undertake an activity, but that we note our strengths and weaknesses in order to improve. Deliberate Practice, in Karl Ericsson’s phrase.

Looking to improve your own gaming, or just find Zen? Keep reading (or in the UK or Canada). Or, sign up for the Subtle Illumination email list to your right! Disclosure: I read Zen Gaming as a free reader copy.