Games, Dreams and Consciousness

Absorption is central to video game enjoyment and a major component of the development of consciousness. Games are rich sources of perceptual experiences and may facilitate absorption but transpersonal experiences are not guaranteed. Sustained absorption in the game world is tied to the development of player cognitive skills, and to the game world's perceptual environments, interactive functions, and narratives, including challenges and archetypical characters. Games are perceptually detailed, and technology advances are facilitating our entry into narrative universes of virtual fantasy and virtual reality, populated by archetypes, that are limited only by the imagination. Action games make available a rich cognitive, social, and cultural context where players may achieve sustained absorption and access higher levels of consciousness. Parallels between dreams and games, as well as reciprocal processing and behavioral transfers point to games' emotional benefits. This chapter examines digital media features that facilitate transpersonal experiences and identifies ways that makers of virtual worlds can create experiences that amplify consciousness.