Dharma Play: Turning University Engagement into Playful, Contemplative Experience Design

Overview

Dharma Play was a radical experiment in student engagement, immersive storytelling, and contemplative marketing at Naropa University. By blending mysticism, technology, and play, Dharma Play transformed how students connected with their academic journey—from the moment they discovered Naropa to their lives as alumni.

Through hidden games, interactive SMS storytelling, and elemental rituals, we built a framework that went beyond traditional student life programming. Dharma Play became Naropa’s most successful student engagement initiative, reimagining what university marketing and community-building could be.

Role & Contributions

I led the vision, design, and implementation of Dharma Play, focusing on:

🎭 Experience Design – Built immersive student experiences inspired by contemplative practices and Buddhist elemental philosophy.
📲 Digital & SMS Engagement – Created an SMS-driven engagement funnel using spontaneous poetry prompts, Trickster Tarot messages, and interactive storytelling.
🔥 Community Activation – Designed elemental house identities, orientation rituals, and surprise activations to foster deep belonging.
🕹️ Playful Marketing – Introduced hidden QR stickers in bookstores, a Samsara-based game of life, and guerrilla-style activations to intrigue prospective students.
🌿 Contemplative Design Strategy – Reframed Naropa’s existing arts and design courses into a more sought-after degree pathway (though not officially launched, it laid the groundwork for rethinking Naropa’s creative curriculum).

Challenge: Traditional higher ed marketing lacked soul and failed to reflect what made Naropa unique.
Solution: Dharma Play reimagined student engagement as a game of discovery, using:
✔️ Hidden QR codes inside beat poetry & spiritual books across the country
✔️ An SMS-based journey introducing prospective students to Naropa’s ethos through interactive contemplative exercises
✔️ Spontaneous engagement prompts that invited students into play, reflection, and community before they even arrived on campus
👉 Result: Dharma Play became Naropa’s highest-performing recruitment funnel, proving that immersive storytelling outperforms standard university marketing. text goes here
Description Challenge: Naropa’s commuter-heavy student body struggled to form deep connections across programs.
Solution: Dharma Play introduced Elemental Houses based on Buddhist elemental philosophy:
✔️ Students chose an element that resonated with them (Earth Guardian, Fire Tender, Water Warrior, Air Dancer, or Space).
✔️ Orientation included elemental pins, helping students bond through shared affinities.
✔️ Graduation sashes featured the elemental house pins, creating continuity throughout their journey.
✔️ Seasonal activations tied classes to elements, offering guided contemplative practices to align students with the cycles of learning.
👉 Result: Students felt an immediate sense of belonging, even in a commuter-heavy environment. goes here
Challenge: Students craved deeper, embodied engagement but had little time for traditional student life.
Solution: Dharma Play introduced interactive, playful experiences woven into Naropa’s culture:
✔️ Karmic Twister – A hidden sticker-based game that led students to an SMS challenge.
✔️ Samsara-Based Game of Life – A board game that taught Buddhist concepts through play.
✔️ Button Mandala Project – A collaborative, spontaneous art piece that evolved over time.
✔️ Elemental Candy Jars – Multicultural candies representing each element, sparking conversation and exploration.
👉 Result: These low-barrier, high-impact activations made contemplative play accessible to all students, even those with busy schedules. text goes here
✅ Highest-performing marketing funnel for student recruitment at Naropa
✅ Successfully bridged the gap between admissions, student life, and alumni engagement
✅ Helped reposition Naropa as a leader in contemplative experience design
✅ Inspired the foundation for the Contemplative Design minor, an effort to preserve Naropa’s arts programs
✅ Expanded Naropa’s presence at events like the MAPS Psychedelic Science Conference, where Dharma Play became a key activation strategyiption
Item Dharma Play proved that learning, marketing, and community-building don’t have to be passive—they can be an adventure.
✨ Key takeaways:
- Play builds belonging. Rituals, storytelling, and interactive experiences create deeper engagement than passive orientation programming.
- Mystery and discovery intrigue people. The “hidden” nature of Dharma Play made it feel like an underground movement, sparking curiosity.
- Technology can be contemplative. SMS-based engagement became an unexpected but powerful tool for creating contemplative moments.
🛠️ Future applications: Dharma Play’s principles can be adapted to brand storytelling, interactive art installations, UX design, and immersive community experiences.