Introducing the Game Store Prophets

Do you ever listen to someone and they draw you in by the passion in their voice? Well, Mike Perna and Luke Navarro are that kind of duo. I'll be honest, I don't care all that much for card games and what these guys call "hobby games" but I love this podcast. I've listened to all 93 (as of this post) episodes, and plan on listening until they stop. It is difficult to put an average time to their episodes, I think they try to keep it to an hour, but once they start going the ride will take you all over the place, so you just hold on and enjoy the scenery...eventually they'll run out of gas.

Game Store Prophets, a bit of a play on words, and rather ironic, at that, as game stores seem to be getting scarce. But these guys have a message: games bring us together, and if you want to be an effective evangelist, investing in someone's life, and doing so in a way that is fun, is a great way of going for it.
Now, on to the 20 questions.

1: You guys talk about board games, but “Milton Bradley” comes out like a four letter word… what should those of us not “in the know”

understand about your idea of board games?

Luke: I think the reason so many hobby gamers dislike main stream games is randomness. Games like Monopoly, Life and Sorry rely very heavily on dice rolls to determine the outcome of the game. Hobby games give players much more control over outcomes while still having enough randomness to keep things from being rote.

Mike: I've tried to get better about not hating on games like Monopoly. I mean, I grew up with those games. If people really like those games, I have no business telling them they can't play and have a blast with it.

For me, though, it is on par with somebody coming up to me with a Walkman and saying "Man, have you seen this!? It's so awesome!" The only problem is that there are those who got bored playing old games and assume that modern board and card games function in the same way. There is an entire world of games they don't get to see because of old roll and move games.

2: You call what you do a “ministry”: can you sum up why you think playing games qualifies as such?

Luke: I wouldn’t say gaming is a ministry. Gaming is like anything else, it can be used to lead people to God, away from God or… uh… sideways from God. What we do as ministry is very specific to GSP and Innroads. We use gaming as a source from which to draw spiritual lessons, evoke conversation and deepen relationships.

Mike: People often think that doing something fun can't be ministry - that one must suffer to serve. I don't think that's the case at all. We are about the business of building relationship. Yeah, we do it by playing games, because we've seen people from different cultures, economic backgrounds, and even different languages come together as friends because they rolled dice together. The games aren't where the ministry ends. It's where it starts.

  

3: Who talks the most on your show?

Luke: Probably me. (Luke)

Mike: Me. Well, to be clear, it depends on whoever has had more going on in their life and at their tables since the previous episode got recorded - but I'm guilty of getting my preacher voice out.

4: When you see William Shatner yelling “KHAAAAAAN!” do you think of Ricardo Montalban or “convention”?

Luke: Con for sure. Actually Kubla Con to be specific. It is our “local” gaming convention and gives me a few days away to dive deep into my hobby. Most often that means a few board games and lots of RPG and War-games.

Mike: I love conventions. They're intense collections of humanity where everyone there is incredibly excited about the same things. They help some people build community when they didn't think there were others like themselves. For others, it helps them see that the people they think are opposite or even against them are still people that share common interests.

That, and it's 4 days of games with designers, gaming media, and ministers I only get to see AT that convention.

5: How do you interact with your listeners?

Luke: Yeah I am sort of a social media luddite. I interact with our listeners by letting Mike do it.

Mike: You name it - I'm on it. I have email, facebook, twitter, instagram.

I walk the floor at Gencon. We have a play-by-post game. If there are

people in a place that want us to be there, I probably show up there

eventually. I love talking to people that listen to us.

6: Tell us, how do you feel qualified to be considered a Geek, what kind of Geeky credentials can you give?

Luke: My name is Luke and I was born almost exactly 9 months after the release of A New Hope. I was born to be a geek. I got my first console, an Atari 2600, when I was 4. I’ve been playing board games, RPGs and War-games  since I was 12.

Mike: Been a geek longer than a Christian. I can quote comic books, tv, and

movies. I read Silmarillion when I was in the 8th grade, and I've been

watching Doctor Who since the 4th Doctor. Some of my earliest gaming

memories are playing Heroquest with my dad and brothers. However,

really, the only credential for being a geek is to be exceptionally

passionate about any one thing. That's all geekiness is in the end.

Whatever gets you excited to the point of madness makes you a geek.

7: Soda or pop, and which is your favorite?

Luke: Soda. D.P.

Mike: I'm from Jersey. It's soda here - and honestly, I don't drink a lot

of it. I'm hefty enough without adding that into my life. But I'd

probably say root beer when I do.

  

8: Is a zebra black with white stripes or white with black stripes?

Luke: White.

Mike: A Zonkey is brown with white and black stripes. I like them better.

9: Personally, and I’m sure no one will judge you, watch the movie or read the book?

Luke: Used to be read the book. Now I am tired and busy so watch the movie.

Mike: Book. 99.9% of the time, and the .1% accounts for those rare times

when the movie is just as good.

10: If you had a Star Trek transporter, would you use it, and if so:

where would you go?

Luke: On the one hand I really dislike driving so I would be tempted. On the other hand there are real metaphysical issues about the nature of being and self that come up. On the vestigial third hand I have really terrible luck and would end up stuck in a loop waiting forever for Scotty to put me back together. So on balance no.

Mike: If it was proven to work and I wasn't some kind of test subject,

yeah, I'd probably give it a shot. I'd go to England. Oxford,

specifically. I want to hang out in the Bird & Baby and wonder what it

must have been like to be an Inkling.

11: Have you ever had a topic that surprised you when you talked about it?

Luke: As a pastor I have had some pretty intense, awkward and downright strange conversations but I am guessing you mean on the show. The truth is we don’t plan. We have no idea what we are going to talk about until 5 seconds before we hit record and we don’t do second takes. I wouldn’t say I am surprised but I am always happy with where the Spirit leads the conversation and how He is able to tie all our random nerdiness into a somewhat coherent spiritual message.

Mike: There have been a handful of times when we started out the episode

going, "Man, I don't know. Let's just wing it and see what happens" -

only to find that it turns into this deep discussion about life, the

universe, and everything. I can't recall which episodes though now that

we're creeping up on 100.

12: What made the best job you ever had the best job?

Luke: Honestly I don’t like jobs. Even the “important” jobs like being a pastor really bring me down. These days I am a professional amateur who spends the vast majority of my time volunteering. I get to do whatever I want (more or less) and follow whatever weird passion is driving me at the moment and still make a positive impact in the world.

Mike: I'm still waiting on it. Hoping InnRoads is the answer to that

question.

13: What is your favorite color?

Luke: Green

Mike: Blue ... no yel aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. (It's actually green)

14: What is your biggest obstacle to podcasting?

Luke: The time difference to be sure. Mike is three hours ahead of me and that means he is often up into the wee hours of the morning to record. Add to that the fact that I wake up really early and we can sometimes be a little punchy.

Mike: Time. Luke and I are on opposite coasts with a three hour time

difference. Trying to get gests gets sticky if they want to talk to both

of us, and editing takes even more time on top of that.

15: Someone gives you that “what a dork” look… how do you get over or past it?

Luke: Weird is good. A long time ago I used to care but after a few years of counseling and a bit of pharmaceutical assistance I am really happy with who I am. I don’t really care much what others think.

Mike:  I stopped caring about that long ago. It really is true that the

folks who say stuff like that are best handled by not giving them any of

your valuable attention.

16: What is your favorite season of the year?

Luke: Fall.

Mike: Fall. The air is cool and crisp. The trees explode with color. But I

don't have to worry about shoveling all that blasted snow yet!

17: You get one superhero power, what would it be?

Luke: Healing.

Mike: If the X-men taught me anything, it's that mutants sometimes get

more than one. So I wanna be Beast - beefy, agile, and absolutely smart.

I'll deal with the blue fur.

18: Weird Al Yankovic has a song, “Lame Claim to Fame”, what is your, lame claim to fame?

Luke: In 2010 I read 52 books, watched 52 movies and played through 52 video games.

Mike: For about 2 years I wrote an episodic steampunk story blog about an

inventor, a self-important clockwork automaton, and the only good man

left in the Five Points. It was called Tinker - and people seemed to

like it.

19: Besides your show, what would you like readers to know more about?

Luke: Innroadsministries.com

Mike: I want people to know about role playing games and give them a

chance. Even if they are scared of the sacrilegious, there is such a

variety of games out there that nurture creativity, social interaction,

and the comradery of other people that whose theme do not go anywhere

near inappropriate lines. I want people to know that the world they can

build in their head with their friends is infinitely bigger and cooler

than the one they have so narrowly defined for themselves.

20: If I say “Netrunner”, what comes to your mind?

Luke: Mike’s obsession.

Mike: Shapes have the best toys, and you can't run from the NBN.

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Post script, the guys seemed a little shy here, so definitely check out the links below as they have a LOT more to say, and have several events they promote throughout the year. Now to end this post as they end their shows:

 "Remember, God is the gamemaster and no matter how the dice fall, the game plays on."

Links for the show:

http://www.innroadsministries.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/gamestoreprophets (the Tavern)