No doubt by now you've heard of the newest hobby to hit the phone game market, Pokemon Go. My Facebook feed was inundated almost overnight with pro, con and in between. Among the many responses some churches noticed they were in the game as item locations called pokestops. Since then many have been asking how the Church may respond to this growing interest that seems to cover a diverse demographic.

What is it?

Pokemon Go is the newest iteration in a series of games where the player collects fantasy creatures, builds them up, and battles other trainers in game. Each Pokemon can also become more powerful, some by evolving into other versions. This edition of Pokemon combines the basic premise with a new gaming model called "Augmented Reality." AR takes the real world and overlays an "augmented" version on top. This allows the game to use the real world as an inherent part of the game as opposed to most video games which have self-contained virtual only worlds.

Why might it be so popular?

Pokemon's initial popularity was due to combining collectability and social aspects with the usual enjoyments of video games. Because the first game had 150 different creatures of varying rarity and difficulty it appealed in the same way as other hobbies such as card collecting. Later versions continued to add to that number and so an ever increasing number one must collect to have all of them. It was also from the beginning a sociable game. Nintendo originally released two versions; and not all Pokemon could be found in either version. In addition, some Pokemon only evolved when they were traded to another player, so to collect those one was required to find other people who also played. These aspects enabled more social interaction than other video games of the time.

Pokemon Go increases the social aspect by forcing players to go outside and walk around in the real world which has created entire social networks of players. The game also splits players into three teams, thus creating a camaraderie and group gaming as the teams compete for control of areas on the game map. As people play they meet others playing, compete with others playing, and form networks and friendships along the way which encourage more playing.

What are the benefits and detriments?

The game has been instrumental in moving players outside, leading to people walking around and socializing. In Sherman, at least, it's made a massive difference in downtown. For some time downtown has been attempting to boost the number of people out and about, trying to create a night life of sorts. In spite of the heat, for several evenings, downtown has now been full of groups of people of varying ages playing. Local businesses have capitalized on this by offering discounts to the growing number of people in the area. Beyond this local area the game has also had the social effect of bringing different ages and races of people together. In a time of division it is the commonality of this game that can create real social benefits.

On the other hand Sherman did have a recent issue with the local large cemetery being flooded with players leading to littering and damage. In some locations of the U.S. players have not been smart about how they play and either been injured or caught trespassing as well. The usual risks of any outdoor activity apply to this game but the game itself can be distracting in avoiding those normal risks. Players do need to be reminded to stay alert to real dangers and not so focused on the phone that they become oblivious to what's around them.

How can the Church best respond?

The primary opportunity for the Church here is hospitality, particularly in an era when so few people consciously come to us anymore. People are getting outside, meeting strangers, and creating their own communities. Our role in this is to give these people a positive experience of the Church when the game brings them our way. People are coming to our parish buildings and we can either do what should be the norm, show hospitality like Jesus, or we can build a wall by being unwelcoming by looking down on the game or the people who play.

For many in the geek crowd the Church both right and left has been a turn off. Fundamentalists may decry all these games all as "of the devil" but mainliners also have a tendency to be snobbish in calling them a "waste of time" (while spending hours watching sports) or "childish" (even though many of all ages play video games). In both cases people may have grown up with the impression that the Church is not for them and developed an unfavorable association.

In our case St. Stephen's has two pokestops connected to the game. The first thing you should do is find out if your church has any as well. Not all churches will have one. They were crowd sourced by an earlier game and so if not you may have to wait to ask for a location to be added. Since we do have two stops, our parish has placed a small charging station in our fellowship hall so players can drop by, enjoy some A/C, charge their phones, and use our WiFi.

The other way to connect with the large amount of people playing is to play the game yourself. Players in our area know they're welcome here because I play and am active on the local community Facebook page. These types of games may not be your particular interest but you may have others of all ages in your parish who play and can help you connect with players. Either way this game can be one of many opportunities to be hospitable which can open doors to conversations about Jesus and the Gospel.