How could video games be designed to facilitate personal and spiritual growth?

Note: This survey was closed on March 28th, 2008.

The winner of the sweepstakes for a 1-year subscription of two magazines and a Game Stop gift card was Kyle Youngblom, from Seattle, WA, USA "Wow, that's great!  I've never really won anything before" Kyle Youngblom He comments about the research: I believe games have the potential to offer more to people than visceral entertainment. Despite this promise, however, there are few examples extant in the current market. I'd say the issue isn't so much the capacity of the medium, but rather consumer desires. Current examples of games which offer a more intentionally constructive experience tend to be hokey, gimmicky, and smacking of new-age pseudoscience. For any project with the ambition of providing avenues to personal/spiritual growth, I believe success hinges largely on creating an experience commensurate with the quality inherent in commercially-successful mainstream games.

Please click here to see more information about this academic research, including the main survey results and analysis.