The Story of CoQuest

I am an artist, writer and teacher living and working in western Massachusetts.

My journey in developing CoQuest began with a game of chess in the spring of 1979. I found myself becoming uncomfortable with the fact that only one of us could win and the other must necessarily lose. Ever since, I have lived with the question: Is competition essential to a good game? For almost 40 years, I have been exploring how to create a good game in which collaboration, rather than competition, is the primary dynamic.

All the great games played for centuries depend on some form of competition to make them challenging and exciting to play. The primary motivation for playing is the prospect of winning. In team sports--as well as in business, politics and warfare--there is an odd mix of collaboration and competitiveness where each team exercises a high level of collaboration among themselves in order to be more effective in competing and defeating  the other team. This begs the question: Why do we compete with some people and co-operate with others? Is there a reason why we don't co-operate with all people, all the time? Competing is not easy, but collaborating is far more challenging because it means finding strategies that serve the progress and success of all the players, not just our own.

The fact that self-interest is so dominant and destructive in today's world is no reason to accept it as unavoidable. This is the very reason we must intensify our efforts to foster co-operation and collaboration as essential  capacities for maintaining the web of life among all that dwell upon the earth. We cannot eradicate self-interest entirely, but we can strive to balance and harmonize our self-interest with the legitimate self-interest of all others by fostering empathy and compassion.

If all competitive games are in effect, "conquest" games, I  have coined the name "CoQuest" to describe a whole new kind of game based on the challenges of collaboration. In most "conquest" games, like chess and Go, players find themselves in the polarizing context of “black versus white.” In CoQuest, the Dark and Light Demons are the common adversaries of all players. Can the players work together to outsmart the Dark and Light Demons so that all 12 Questors reach a Seat at the Round Table and are crowned with a StarStone?

While CoQuest can be played simply for the fun of it, but CoQuest is particularly suited for individuals and groups interested in exploring the challenge of balancing individual self-interest with social harmony and unity. 

CoQuest is typically played by two or four players but it can be played alone. Playing Solitaire CoQuest, for even a few minutes at a time, is especially suited for individuals looking for an inner practice that fosters quiet focus and creative renewal.

 CoQuest is more than a game, it is a way of battling our demons together.