CMP Review 2023-07-06

July 6, 2023

I will never forget the moment reading Ourselves with my son when we came to this sentence: “Even games want the whole of the player, they want Integrity.” My son looked at me, knowing that the sentence was for me. It was the voice of conscience put into words, for all the times I multitasked with my children’s time.

In her book Restless Devices, Felicia Wu Song observes that “living in our digitally saturated society inadvertently trains us to view embodiment as a nuisance, time in terms of scarcity, and the other as an object to be managed or manipulated for one’s pleasure.” A board game played with integrity — with undivided attention — invites us to view embodiment as an opportunity, time as a gift, and the other as a companion in the enjoyment of life.

John Muir Laws wrote that “a useful way to define love is sustained, compassionate attention.” While attention may not be all that love demands, attention is what love demands. To be fair, a game of Catan with two expansion packs demands attention just to keep up with what’s going on. Even though I played with integrity, I couldn’t manage better than last place. But with all devices and cares set aside, my companions knew they were first in my heart.

@artmiddlekauff