Academic work
For university audiences, I primarily write about the intersection between religion and games. Some of these papers have been presented at the American Academy of Religion conference, in the context of panels pulled together by the International Academy for the Study of Gaming and Religion. Other work has been presented at the International Conferences on Media, Religion and Culture.
As part of this work I’ve given guest lectures at Union Theological Seminary, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), University of Colorado Boulder, Ithaca College and elsewhere.
Playing with Religion in Digital Games (book)
Dreidels to Dante’s Inferno: Toward a Typology of Religious Games
This invited paper was the first piece in this book, which itself represents one of the first collections of academic work in this field. I offer a typology and framework for the many overlaps between games and religion.
gamevironments, 2022
No One Teaches You How to Build a Holy Game: An Effort to Build readings in Theory and Praxis
A paper, only slightly tongue-in-cheek, explores the need for game design programs to broaden into teaching the design of “holy games,” including ideas for a syllabus.
The Immanent Frame, 2015
A short essay about what religious communities might gain from the growing ubiquity and sophistication of 21st century games.
gamevironments, 2015
Current Key Perspectives in Video Gaming and Religion
Comments from the inaugural video game panel at the American Academy of Religion
Journal of Religion, Media and Culture, 2011
Review of “The Legend of Zelda and Theology,” ed. Jonathan L. Walls
Response to an early anthology in the field that offered perspectives on the religious motifs in Nintendo’s blockbuster Zelda series.