Leonard Souza, the lead experience architect at UniversalMind/SpatialKey, and our interaction design expert, moves on the conversation on to more theoretical questions. Phenomenology is the study of the structure of experience. According to Heidegger, it's made up of the earth, sky, human and spirit. In games, for an experience to become transcendent, you need aesthetics, story, mechanics and technology, Souza says.
The way to find the sort of transcendence Coulter is looking for is to achieve "flow," which is explained in depth in the book "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience." Simplistically, flow is when someone becomes one with an experience, whether that be contained in a game or a building.