Slow down.
….
It’s scary, isn’t it? [I know you didn't do it, but for that split second when you considered it, your mind probably rejected even the thought of it.] We’re a very connected society now, and we take in as much as we can as fast as we can. There’s no time to slow down.
Ian Bogost (founder of the awesome Persuasive Games ["We design, build, and distribute videogames for persuasion, instruction, and activism."]) just released a game where the object is to slow down…
Guru Meditation (released for the Atari VCS and iPhone) is a meditation game. Intended primarily to interface with the Joyboard, the iPhone version has some interesting aspects to it.
Using the iPhone’s built-in accelerometer, you’re supposed to sit cross-legged with the iPhone in front of you, and then sit perfectly still. After a short while, the guru onscreen will start to levitate for as long as you can keep still, and a timer keeps track of how long he stays in the air.
On its face, maybe not that interesting, but if you slow down and think about it, there’s actually a fair amount going on there. Firstly, it’s a direct port of the Atari version, with the same graphics, sounds, everything—only the control scheme is tweaked—so the game itself is a meditation on simpler times. It’s a reason to read up on the Joyboard, on 6502 assembly coding, on relaxation itself. It’s also deceptively simple. The lack of flare, bells, and whistles helps you to get lost in actually slowing down and tuning out and actually relaxing. And when was the last time trying too hard served to hinder your progress…? Also, it disables all the phone features of your iPhone so there are no possibilities for interruption, so there’s social commentary and furhter meditations on connectedness and gadget-addiction and the pace of your average day.
Alright, your phone’s probably been ringing nonstop and you have email and texts to reply to, so we’ll now return you to regular speed. But if you have a few peaceful seconds today and you realize how nice they feel, you might consider a change of pace every now and then.
