Kirkon työntekijöiden näkemät tavoittavan työn mahdollisuudet paikkatietoon perustuvissa peleissä

Abstract

<p>Church Employees’ Experiences and Perceived Opportunities of Encountering Location-based Game Players at Church Grounds — Location-based games (LBGs) such as Pokémon GO bring players daily to the proximity of churches and other places of religious significance. This can be seen as an opportunity for the church to reach out to the players. However, some might see LBGs as a threat to the integrity and peace of the church’s grounds, especially sacred places. We investigated how the employees of the Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church feel about the opportunities and challenges that come with LBGs via an online survey (N=131). Qualitative analysis on the replies revealed that an overwhelming majority of respondents saw LBGs in a positive light, highlighting their potential for encountering players and building bridges between the church and regular citizens. Some voiced concerns that mobile game players are not receptive to the church’s message, which was also echoed in other replies suggesting careful strategies for approaching LBG players, such as inviting them inside for refreshments or for charging their phones.<br></p>