It is suggestive and provocative that I have rarely found better, deeper, or more intelligent allies (friends) than I have readily and immediately found in various ‘gaming’ contexts. Most of the specific contexts involve(d) role-playing, and the significance of this seeming anomaly is clarifying as I observe and explore it over time. I have successfully translated many of the most effective and astonishing aspects of these contexts into my ‘ordinary life’ in such a way as to leverage their assets for otherwise unthinkable developmental opportunities and experiences. Now I understand the draw of role-playing games, and, more importantly, what they, like our human cultures, prepare us for… but too often replace, rather than deliver.