EXP

What if the games you already play could become a tool for your spiritual growth?

In the seventh and final episode of EXP Season 1 we land the plane on everything we've been building toward. Not a rulebook, not a list of approved games, and definitely not a suggestion that Final Fantasy replaces your Bible. Just a practical, theology-driven framework for how to let the games you already enjoy open up questions, reflections, and growth you didn't know you needed.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:47 What's next for EXP?
00:03:07 Referral program
00:06:57 Top-down theology
00:17:24 Growth guide
00:22:09 Example 1 — Animal Crossing
00:33:11 Example 2 — Gloomhaven
00:37:53 Wrapping up Season 1

The best way to follow along with EXP is the newsletter.

Every week we go deeper on the episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some pretty great rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, Ten Games with a Big Message, free.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at https://bythebook.games/exp

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythebookgames
By the Book Games: https://bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

It's basically assumed that sports are healthier than video games. But how much of that have we actually thought through?

In the sixth episode of EXP we put sports and video games side by side and ask some honest questions. Not to bash sports, not to cheerlead for games, but to carefully examine the assumptions we've carried around for years and see which ones actually hold up. The answer is more nuanced than you'd expect and more useful.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:45 Sports vs video games — not clickbait
00:04:17 What they have in common
00:11:53 Where sports outshine video games
00:19:17 Where video games outshine sports
00:30:06 What about board games?
00:31:31 Conclusion

The best way to follow along with EXP is the newsletter.

Every week we go deeper on the episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some pretty great rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, Ten Games with a Big Message, free.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at https://bythebook.games/exp

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythebookgames
By the Book Games: https://bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

Trading cards started in cigarette boxes. Now they're a multi-billion dollar industry. Here's what that history tells us about why we play.

In the fifth episode of EXP we go analog, trading in controllers and screens for plain old rectangular cardboard. From the first trading cards stuffed into cigarette packs in the 1800s to the Pokemon cards your kid brought home from school last week, the history of the trading card game industry reveals something surprising about human nature, community, and what happens when play goes digital.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:48 Trading card games
00:02:42 The origins of trading cards
00:08:24 Playful economies
00:18:39 Potentials and pitfalls
00:26:39 Digitizing the physical
00:37:39 Where are we now?
00:39:07 Bonus round

The best way to follow along with EXP is the newsletter.

Every week we go deeper on the episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some pretty great rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, Ten Games with a Big Message, free.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at https://bythebook.games/exp

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythebookgames
By the Book Games: https://bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

Two niche video games. Two surprisingly big lessons about how modern play is shaping you.

In the fourth episode of EXP we move from the 30,000 foot view and go first person, comparing two roguelike deckbuilder video games called Wildfrost and Slay the Spire. This is not your average game review. Rather than just ranking these games on their fun factor, we're looking at what's different about them as a way of learning more about how games work, how modern play is shaping us, and how we can choose to play well and live better.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:28 30,000 feet to first person
00:01:56 What is a roguelike deckbuilder?
00:08:33 Lesson from Wildfrost
00:20:55 Lesson from Slay the Spire
00:27:36 Thinking like a developer
00:29:44 Conclusion

The best way to follow along with EXP is the newsletter.

Every week we go deeper on the episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some pretty great rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, Ten Games with a Big Message, free.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at https://bythebook.games/exp

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythebookgames
By the Book Games: https://bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

Is play faithful? Even if it's healthy, does it fit with a life of following Christ?

In the third episode of EXP, we build a practical biblical framework for evaluating whether the way you play is faithful. Not a rulebook, not a list of dos and don'ts, but a grid from Scripture that gives you genuine confidence to evaluate your own habits, your own games, your own relationship with play, and know whether it's working for your faith or against it.

In this episode:

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:11 Recap and what's next
00:05:00 Principle 1 — Time
00:09:42 Principle 2 — Rest
00:17:42 Principle 3 — The Imaginary
00:22:44 Principle 4 — Worship
00:32:18 Using the "Tri-Worsh"
00:43:37 Conclusion

The best way to follow along with EXP is the newsletter.

Every week we go deeper on the episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some pretty great rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, Ten Games with a Big Message, free.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at https://bythebook.games/exp

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythebookgames
By the Book Games: https://bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

Is play actually good for you? The research might surprise you.

In the second episode of EXP, we ask whether play is healthy. From cognitive development to social skills to how you perform at your job, the clinical data makes a stronger case for play than most people expect. But this episode doesn't just blindly cheer for games. It gets honest about the healthy and the unhealthy versions of play in the modern world.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:28 Recap and what's next
00:05:13 Defining Play
00:08:36 Play and cognitive health
00:17:40 Play and social development
00:21:30 Play and adaptability and innovation
00:25:11 Play and mindset
00:34:01 A life made of games
00:42:36 Conclusion

The best way to follow along with EXP is the newsletter.

Every week we go deeper on the episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some pretty great rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, Ten Games with a Big Message, free.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at https://bythebook.games/exp

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bythebookgames
By the Book Games: https://bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

Is play just a distraction from the things that actually matter? Or does it matter more than we think?

In the first episode of EXP, Andrew makes the case that games, from board games to video games to the ridiculous things five-year-olds do with a princess dress and a ball, deserve more careful thought than we've been giving them. Whether you're a gamer, a skeptical parent, or somewhere in between, this one is for you.

In this episode:
00:00:00 Does play matter?
00:00:40 What is EXP?
00:02:26 Everyone should care about play
00:03:47 Andrew's story — from addicted gamer to game developer and pastor
00:12:20 Big Idea 1 — Play is where you meet the world
00:16:48 Big Idea 2 — Play is part of being human
00:21:40 Big Idea 3 — Play engages the heart
00:28:23 Who is EXP for?

The journey continues in your inbox:

To get the full experience of EXP, subscribe to the newsletter where we dive deeper into the latest episode topic, share recommendations, and ask questions we genuinely want to hear your answers to. Sign up free at bythebook.games/exp and refer friends to unlock some stellar rewards:

Refer 5 friends and get our bonus episode, "Ten Games with a Big Message," exclusive to the program.
Refer 10 friends and get a physical demo of Village Guard, a brand new tabletop strategy game from By the Book Games, shipped to your door.

Your referral link is waiting for you at bythebook.games/exp.

Find EXP on YouTube for the full video experience: https://youtube.com/@bythebookgames
Follow on Instagram: @bythebookgames
By the Book Games: www.bythebook.games

EXP is produced in partnership with Lagom Podcast Studio.

In this launch trailer, you’ll get a taste of why Christians have needed something like this for decades, how play forms us more than we realizes, and what EXP will bring to the conversation starting August 26.