Imladris Podcast

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode:
This Achievement Guide series suggests a set of practices and ideals meant to shield our hearts and minds from the most common pitfalls we encounter. At its best, it is an expression of community, taken up in the belief that none of get through this world alone. We need help from one another to live the lives God meant for us. It is also embraced in humility, recognizing that we are all prone to specific lures and spiritual threats that require us to take extra care with our practices.

In this episode, we introduce the difference between Imago Dei (the image of God) and  Imago Hominis (the image of humans). We are in the business of making images and at constant risk of making idols - representative images of things above and below that find their expression in our characters, worlds, and mechanics. Instead of using our creativity to call evil good, and good evil we endeavor to demonstrate and explore higher truth in experiences that are morally honest and spiritually consistent.

Resources:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• Become a Patron

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode:
This Achievement Guide series suggests a set of practices and ideals meant to shield our hearts and minds from the most common pitfalls we encounter. At its best, it is an expression of community, taken up in the belief that none of get through this world alone. We need help from one another to live the lives God meant for us. It is also embraced in humility, recognizing that we are all prone to specific lures and spiritual threats that require us to take extra care with our practices.

Few things could be more dissonant than a crew of game creators, living in their 'dream job,’ yet devoid of any mirth. Yet the ‘all business’ mentality is in the norm throughout our industry. Instead subjecting all other concerns to the draw of the bottom line we cultivate an internal culture of humor, celebration and serendipity. We recognize that joy is one of our most precious gifts from Heaven and regard its presence as the welcome fruit of an abundant life. Yet we know it’s a fragile thing, vulnerable to the pressures of productivity and profitability, which we also cultivate, but as junior sisters to the fundamental fun that ought to define our work and workplace. In this episode, we dive deeper into the role/importance of humor in our everyday environment

• What role, if any, does humor play in a high stress environment?
• What is the value of humor in the workplace?
• Applying the same question to church, is humor appropriate in that seemingly serious environment?
• “If we can’t imagine God laughing, then we are missing out on something so precious and good”
• Team discusses the difference between humor and joy; humor sounds like something you have to work towards, while joy feels much more organic and natural

Resources:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• Become a Patron

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

When the news broke that the Redwall world had been licensed by Netflix for, at least so far, one movie and a TV series we were blown away! There will definitely be lots to say in the coming weeks and months but here's our immediate first reaction to this news and how it might impact us The Lost Legends for Redwall games.

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode:
This Achievement Guide series suggests a set of practices and ideals meant to shield our hearts and minds from the most common pitfalls we encounter. At its best, it is an expression of community, taken up in the belief that none of get through this world alone. We need help from one another to live the lives God meant for us. It is also embraced in humility, recognizing that we are all prone to specific lures and spiritual threats that require us to take extra care with our practices.

Instead of constantly escaping to virtual worlds and communities we recognize that the real world is the first and finest sandbox ever made. Entering, experiencing, and embracing the natural world grounds us, feeds our souls, and reminds us of the manifest wisdom of the creator of creation. We regularly unplug from all electronic devices and seek to soak in the ‘second scripture’ of the glorious planet God called good. This episode covers God’s reality over virtual reality:

• Real world versus the digital world
  • The truth about reality is that God created a certain set of rules that we have no power to change
  • In virtual reality, you can make your own rules! And even if you break them, there are usually no real-world consequences
  • Reality = the value of the journey; virtual reality = the value of the destination
  • Most virtual reality is created by someone else’s perception of their own reality and experiences
• What motivates you to use virtual reality? Do you use it as an escape from reality or do you enjoy the experience of the non-reality?
• God made this world for us to experience, what is our willingness to enter into the world that He made?
• Nature can so instantly create a positive impact on your life, so why are we so easily distracted from it?

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• Become a Patron

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by Chris Skaggs.

This Achievement Guide series suggests a set of practices and ideals meant to shield our hearts and minds from the most common pitfalls we encounter. At its best, it is an expression of community, taken up in the belief that none of get through this world alone. We need help from one another to live the lives God meant for us. It is also embraced in humility, recognizing that we are all prone to specific lures and spiritual threats that require us to take extra care with our practices.

What’s covered in this episode:
Instead of the individualism and isolation facilitated and encouraged by screens and controllers, we practice the presence of others IRL with a special effort to share space with those who are not part of our daily work. We pursue diversity across class, gender, and ethnicity in our friendships, partnerships, and mentoring relationships.

• There is a stereotype of the “starving artist” who is driven to create but often struggles to earn a living doing so.  However, Neil Sauvageau points out that, "Starving artists don’t mind starving as long as they get the joy from creating.”
• Mark Söderwall refers to artists as “creatives” and addresses the issue of value and exploitation. He points out that many artists get taken advantage of because they do not know or realize the monetary value of their creations. This is because most artists find their value in simply doing what they love or creating something that other people will love. 
• When we look at the Bible, there aren’t artists specifically mentioned by name, so what is the role of art in the Kingdom?
• While reflecting on purpose and gifts, Neil says, “Whatever you are built with, do it well. If that’s art...guess what? Do it well!” 
• Not many artists are proud to show off their work...why is that? Vulnerability. It’s easier to hide than to receive feedback or criticism.
• How can we feed artists moving forward? What’s missing or needs to change? The team discusses different ideas of ways to help artists grow and find their identity in Christ instead of what they produce. 

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• Become a Patron

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode: 

• In part three of the series, Brandon, Mark, Neil, and Chris reflect on “An Achievement Guide For Redemptive Game Developers” and its list of seven sins and the virtues that counteract them. This episode covers “pace over pressure”.
  • “Resist and reject the culture of crunch on principle. Instead of endless, unquestioned productivity, we practice the rhythm of work and rest and regular filtering for value over volume.We dig into our need to grow in all the dimensions of our being human, heart soul mind and strength. And we commit to take one full day every week for rest from our daily work and make sabbath possible for everyone within our sphere of authority.”
• “In every industry these days, the crunch is a cultural mindset.” Mark says. If you’re not working, there’s an underlying feeling that it’s time wasted. 
• There’s this concept that if you aren’t working toward something, then you aren’t valued, which is actually not what God says. We’re loved and valued by God by just being.
• Work can be its own form of escapism; real life is too hard. We avoid rest to avoid thinking and feeling what needs to be thought and felt. 
• Learning to rest isn’t always easy. “Even though I was physically still, there was still a mindset that needed to be quieted. And it’s taken practice…” Mark explains that he had to go to the Father asking for his spirit to be calmed.
• Sabbath is one of the ten commandments, and rest is intrinsically important to our beings. 
• “Rest” from work can just as much mean “play”. Use your rest time to do the life-giving things you can’t do on a work day. That might be quiet time, or it might be going for a hike. 
• Neil reminds us that rest time isn’t purely to recover, it’s to enjoy the fruits of your labor. God didn’t need to rest after his six days of creation, but he took the seventh day to enjoy what he had made. You need that moment.

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode: 

• In part two of the series, Brandon, Mark, Neil, James, and Chris reflect on “An Achievement Guide For Redemptive Game Developers” and its list of seven sins and the virtues that counteract them. This episode focuses on “connection over isolation”.
  • “Instead of individualism and isolation facilitated and encouraged by screens and controllers, we practice the presence of others IRL. With a special effort to share a space with those who are not part of our work, we pursue diversity across class, gender, and ethnicity in our friendships, partnerships, and mentoring relationships.”
• Video games are highly incentivized environments; they present a no-risk, quick-reward system. They’re easy escapism with effective reward loops. It’s like in theater—embodying a character has the same low-risk, high reward system.
• A video game’s escapism is that much more tempting in a world where we’re faced with so much trauma and tragedy.
• The Soma team discusses the history of the female player demographic and female representation in games—how the industry ignored its female players and largely objectified their characters. While this has never necessarily been remedied, Brandon observes, women are now exploited as an audience as well as the rest of gamers; the industry realized it could be profiting from them.
• We’re in a unique stage in history where diversity and equality are pushed and encouraged, as scriptures has expressed it should be. Galatians 3:28 (ESV) reads, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• “The Only Guide to Gamergate You Will Ever Need to Read” by The Washington Post
• “The WHO is recommending video games as an effective way to stop the spread of COVID-19, one year after adding 'gaming disorder' to its list of addictive behaviors” by Business Insider

Email us ideas, questions or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode: 

• In this series introduction, Brandon, Mark, Neil, and Chris reflect on “An Achievement Guide For Redemptive Game Developers” and its list of seven sins and the virtues that counteract them:
  • Pace over pressure
  • Connection over isolation
  • Authenticity over a front 
  • Reality over escapism
  • Identity in Christ over our lesser self
  • Satisfaction over love of money
  • Honoring over exploitation
• This list isn’t intended to come with a pressure that you’re doing it wrong. Instead it should be considered achievements for the “completionists” to work toward. These are goals you can aim for, and that, if completed, mean you are really excelling. 
• The concepts are based in scripture, but this shouldn’t alienate our secular audience. They’re still tried-and-true, healthy ways of living. 
• The discussion turns to the unhealthy work culture of the Western world. Mark observes, “When do we take a moment to pause and reflect? Nobody really does that.”
• Overworking yourself isn’t discouraged, it’s seen as impressive and eventually leads to burnout. Instead of investing in individuals, the work world leans toward seeing people as replaceable. 
• You must learn to recognize when your team is overworking themselves and help to diagnose why that might be happening. Mark cautions, “Be okay and unapologetic about pumping the breaks.” 
• Artists feel lucky when their art is experienced by other people, and validation becomes their currency. It’s an unsustainable economy for creatives. 
• Each of the listed topics above will be explored in-depth as the series continues. 

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• A Rule of Life for Redemptive Entrepreneurs by Praxis Labs

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode: 

• What are our goals with this podcast and with Soma Soulworks?
  • “If Soma’s mission is to be apostolic, we are trying to live out and demonstrate cultural values. What does it mean to be believers in Christ in a very, just, normal world?” - Chris Skaggs
  • This podcast places an emphasis on processing specific issues together, rather than trying to bring answers. “If Tempus Divum is curriculum-based, Soma Soulworks is processing time,” Chris explains. “I don’t want to be the ‘answer place’, if I can just be the ‘honesty place’. That’s enough.”
  • We hope this can be a place of connection; it can be helpful to realize there are others out there wrestling with the same things you are. 
  • Our main goal is to follow what the Holy Spirit is doing.
• We live on an external and internal level, Mark says. It’s easy to be known by your external life, but it’s harder to be vulnerable and to be known on an internal one. The temptation to be fake and performative is pervasive and exhausting. We need an opportunity to embrace, rather than shy away from, our internal lives.
• Jesus wants to meet you where you’re at. He recognized people and really saw them in what they were doing, and yet he called them to so much more and wanted to unpack where they were at, Mark observes. 
• What kind of resources and practices are we cultivating?
  • Weekly Jesus times
  • Weekend prayers and contemplations
  • Tempus Divum (this has additional resources and questions)

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter 
• Bootcamp Northwest

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, Soma Games earns a small percentage from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you, but all of our recommendations and opinions are our own.

Welcome to the Soma SoulWorks Podcast! This podcast serves to help people, particularly those who may label themselves as "creatives," to seek wholeness and calling so they are ready to embrace the mission God has for them. Consider this podcast a rogue harmony of professional development and self-care, hosted by John Bergquist and Chris Skaggs.

What’s covered in this episode: 

• What is the role of evangelism in gaming and the arts? In this episode, Neil Sauvageau and Mark Soderwall join Chris Skaggs to have a conversation about it.
• The church has largely failed to be present in the media industry. We usually approach this by asking questions like, “How can we bring Christianity into our games?” and “How can we evangelize with our content?” But these are the wrong questions. 
• Chris explains that using a video game to evangelize is similar to using a video game as an educational tool. People don’t want to be preached at where they go for recreation, so typically these are not effective. If games are a tool, then we’re “using a screwdriver with a flathead nail.”
• Making games with evangelization as the endgame puts on a massive pressure to be reaching the masses with big-budget, high-production content. Mark cautions that, in reality, what is really needed is to strive for excellence, which can be achieved with small teams and budgets.
• Instead of mass evangelization, let your goal be that one person that might be positively impacted by your work. Consider how positively the secular industry could be impacted by having people making decisions by co-laboring with The Holy Spirit. “That way, when you put something out, you know that you know that God has been with you all the way through it.” Mark explains.
• “God loves to see our gifts in operation. He doesn’t need our protection, he needs our exploration. Get personal, vulnerable, and making mistakes is okay. We correct it and we can move on. Go to Holy Ghost and see what you’re called to. Don’t be afraid to go to the desires of your heart.” - Mark Soderwall
• Soma desires to create games with rich culture and art, that in a sense shows a vision of what heaven could be like. They want to make games that express good and evil, and apostleship.
• “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman

Resources mentioned:

• Sign up for the Tempus Divum newsletter

Email us ideas, questions, or suggestions at [email protected]