04 November 2010

Tarot and Gaming, the parallels....

So… why a game blog, that’s so not tarot…

Haha, that’s where you’re wrong. There are many parallels between gaming and tarot, I’m not even trying to be funny here. Allow me to elaborate and explain to you why in the near future little old me will be starting a second blog while specifically attempting not to alienate current readers. There are many parallels, I’ll point out a few.

Well first of all Tarot started out as a game itself, though some groups keep insisting on divine and mystical origins the history of tarot is actually to a certain extend quite well known. Yes I do believe that in a way the last two hundred years additions and revisions of the tarot have added to it and lifted it to a specific esoteric and spiritual tool but it started out as a game. Those who know tarot, know that the minor arcana are in fact in their basics our well known playing cards with an added court card as the big difference.

The second main parallel is achieving goals. Many games are build as a series of challenges you need to analyze and overcome to achieve a set goal. Tarot is basically the same, with it you recognize challenges in life, decide on ways to overcome them and reach a goal you have decided on. In a sense you can describe the Tarot as a walkthrough or tips and hints system for the great game of life.

And then there is the love for graphics, art and design. For me visual imaging is very important, as an artist I am always drawn to “pretty pictures”, which are in abundance in the world of computer games, but certainly no less in the world of tarot. Some of you may know only a few tarot decks, but there are thousands… with many different types of design ranging from abstract to fantasy and from basic and practical to elaborate and rich in detail.

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