Thursday, July 21, 2016

Pokémon Go Game Captures Attention of Millions

The Wired Word for the Week of July 24, 2016
In the past month, people around the world have been captivated by the rollout of a free virtual "augmented reality" game called Pokémon Go that has taken the world by storm. Using their mobile phone cameras, players follow GPS signals to find and capture fictional characters with names like Pikachu, Charmander, Squirtle and Jigglypuff, who appear to be located in the actual vicinity of the players. Once caught, the characters, sometimes called "Pocket Monsters," can be trained for work or battle to assist in the capture of other players' Pokémon.
Within a week of Nintendo's launch of the app, Pokémon Go became the most popular mobile game in U.S. history, raising the company's stock 33 percent. Estimates of the number of players vary widely, ranging from 9.5-21 million people daily.
Participants indicate that the game pushes them to exercise and to interact with their environment and with other people more; others say their academic performance, feeling of emotional well-being and mental health improve.
Some players use the game as a form of escapism to help them cope with an increasingly scary and dangerous world. Marketing specialist Dariush Shafa, 32, who plays Pokémon Goin Owensboro, Kentucky, says, "I've got concerns about politics, … my community, ... my country, and ... the world, but ... if you ... get overwhelmed by that, that's no fun. So it's nice to have something ... enjoyable that gets you outside, gets you a little bit of sunshine and some physical activity."
But some players become so engrossed in the game that they are injured when they fail to notice hazards around them. Some have found the game addictive, an unhealthy obsession. Other competitors have become aggressive or even violent toward other players who are trying to capture the same Pokémon. There have also been reports of criminals using the app to lure participants to a remote location where they rob or assault them their victims. This is one reason some critics of the game express concern over privacy and safety issues.
Another criticism of the game arose when Pokémon images were discovered on cell phone maps of sites considered sacred, such as the Holocaust Museum and the location of atrocities such as Auschwitz.
In her 2006 book Millennial Monsters, author Anne Allison suggests that Pokémon fits into the category of "techno-animism," which attributes a spiritual nature to digital technologies. Pokémon, like the thousands of Japanese kami or Shinto gods said to inhabit the earth, may grant favors to people who bring them food or incense, but punish others who disrespect them.
For over two decades, fans of the original Pokémon franchise have debated the question: "What if Pokémon were real and inhabited our world?"
Pokémon Go game designers have designated many churches as Pokéstops or Pokémon Gyms where players can "power-up" with additional resources that can help them reach their goal of finding more Pokémon. Churches have an opportunity to consider how they wish to engage the community of gamers who may visit their facilities in search of Pokémon.
More on this story can be found at these links:
The Big Questions
1. Do you think it is possible to build community with a game like Pokémon Go? If not, why not? If so, how?
2. Is your church a Pokémon Go site? If so, have you seen an uptick in people hanging around your building? How could you use the opportunity to engage your visitors in spiritual conversations, using the phenomenon to help them discover the one who is the real end of all our searches for meaning?
3. How can creative use of secular influences, fads and culture be instrumental in delivering the Good News?
4. How might the well-intended use of secular attractions sometimes detract from the gospel message? What precautions do we need to take when considering how to use illustrations from culture or secular events in conjunction with our mission?
5. How do you imagine Jesus or Paul might react to the Pokémon Gophenomenon?
Confronting the News With Scripture and HopeHere are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Ecclesiastes 2:2, 24; 3:1, 4
I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" … There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; … For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: … a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance … (For context, read 2:1-3, 10, 24 and 3:1, 4, 12-13.)
There are a lot of things that are neither good nor evil in themselves and are harmless fun that don't hinder us in our Christian walk. TWW contributor Frank Ramirez remembers a fellow in seminary who told him he never read anything but the Bible because other things might distract him in his Christian walk. Yet he came over every night to watch three hours of silly television shows at Frank's apartment. For all his serious pursuit of God, he needed "a time to laugh."
In Ecclesiastes, the writer records his search for meaning in the varied experiences life offers. He doesn't understand the purpose of laughter and pleasure, yet he says there is nothing better than the simple pleasures of life.
A healthy life requires a balance. There is a time for tears and a time for laughter, a time to work and a time to play. He concludes, "moreover, it is God's gift that all should eat and drink and take pleasure in all their toil," which is a way of saying that work and play are not always separate things, and it affirms that God intends for us to enjoy the things we do.
Questions: Do you gravitate more to toil or to relaxing? Do you feel guilty when you take time to rest and play? Where do you think that feeling comes from? If you tend to spend an inordinate amount of time pursuing pleasure, what drives that pursuit? How do you restore and maintain a healthy balance between work and play in your own life?
Luke 12:27
Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. (For context, read 12:22-32.)
Jesus is inviting his hearers to step back from the purely obligatory matters of life and take a moment of leisure to ponder the beauty of some flowers, and even find their faith strengthened by so doing. And then, pointing out how well God cares for the creation, Jesus tells us not to live our lives bound by worry and fretting. He advises against being preoccupied with the utilitarian side of life. Seek God's righteousness and then take pleasure in the day that is at hand.
Questions: What are some of the ways you "consider the lilies"? How has that kind of activity changed your response to worries and cares of this world?
Mark 1:35-37
In the morning, while it was still very dark, he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. And Simon and his companions hunted for him. When they found him, they said to him, "Everyone is searching for you." (For context, read 1:32-39.)
As Jesus launched his earthly ministry, he was in great demand, since he healed many who were sick, casting out many demons. After one exceptionally long day, Jesus rose early the next morning to spend some time in prayer to God. Apparently he had a good isolated place, for everybody was searching for him. But he didn't stick around. Instead, he took his followers to the neighboring towns so he could proclaim his message there as well.
TWW team member Joanna Loucky-Ramsey recalls that her father would always advise the family to push away from the dining room table while they were still a little hungry, so they would always want to come back for more. He explained that we should always have that approach with God as well; we should never feel that we had "too much" of God, but always hunger for more of his presence.
Questions: Do you think you hunt for God with anywhere near the level of passion gamers have when they search for Pokémon characters? Why do you think Jesus didn't remain in the place where people obviously wanted him? Do you ever feel as if God is hidden from you? What do you think God wants you to do when you feel that way?
John 5:39-40
You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. Yet you refuse to come to me to have life. (For context, read 5:15-18 and 39-40.)
Acts 17:11
These Jews were more receptive than those in Thessalonica, for they welcomed the message very eagerly and examined the scriptures every day to see whether these things were so. (For context, read 17:10-12.)
After Jesus healed a man on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders criticized his actions, questioning his claim to be the Son of God, by which they understood him to say that he made himself equal to God (John 5:18). Jesus defended his authority by pointing to the miracles he did, the witness of John the Baptist and of his Father about his identity, and the scriptures they searched to find the key to eternal life. Those very scriptures testify as to who Jesus is, he said, but all their searching would be for naught if they rejected the One who came that they might have life in abundance (John 10:10).
After Jesus' death and resurrection, the missionary team of Paul and Silas traveled about bringing the message about Jesus to various cities and villages. Luke tells us that they received a better hearing for the Good News in Beroea than they had in Thessalonica. The Jews in the Beroean synagogue eagerly searched the scriptures every day to see whether Paul's message rang true. As a result, many came to faith in Christ as the Messiah sent from God.
Questions: What do Pokémon Goplayers seem to be searching for? Could their hunt be a metaphor for a different kind of search, the longing for a deep, right relationship with God and neighbor?
Why do you think people search the scriptures? Why do you? What do you hope to find in so doing? What did the Beroean Jews add to their hearing the Good News that made all the difference? Are you following their example? What benefits would you gain if you did? How can you be more like them?
Luke 15:3-5
So he told them this parable: "Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders and rejoices." (For context, read 15:1-10.)
In this chapter, Jesus tells three parables, the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin and the Parable of the Lost Son. In each parable, he is answering the complaint of the scribes and the Pharisees that he "welcomes sinners and eats with them." He doesn't deny it, but embraces that role. The shepherd who has a hundred sheep cares so much for the one lost sheep that he goes in search of it until he finds it. In the finding of his lost sheep, he rejoices, along with all the angels in heaven.
Anyone who has ever looked for a lost child or pet knows the anguish and worry of the shepherd in the story. A parent or pet owner will lose sleep and spend countless hours searching for the one lost. And upon finding the child or pet alive, the worry dissolves into joy.
The scribes and the Pharisees held to the belief that only certain people were eligible to receive God's favor, and they were part of the elite elect. They were unwilling to share that blessing with those who were not part of their inner circle. As a result, they did not share Jesus' joy in finding lost people. They could not "enter into the joy of the Master."
Questions: Do we delight in searching for people we can invite to come meet Jesus?
Who do you know that you long to see share in the joy of knowing Christ? Take time to pray for those persons by name, that God's Spirit would draw them to the cross, so they would understand how much he loves them.
Acts 10:5-6, 19-20
"Now send men to Joppa for a certain Simon who is called Peter; he is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside." … While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, "Look, three men are searching for you. Now get up, go down, and go with them without hesitation; for I have sent them." (For context, read 10:3-6, 9, 17-20.)
This chapter records how God orchestrated a meeting between the Roman centurion Cornelius and the apostle Peter, so that Peter could share the Good News of Jesus Christ with him. God communicated with each man separately when they were praying in different locations. An angel told Cornelius where to find Peter, and God spoke to Peter through a vision, which the Holy Spirit explained to him.
At the very moment Peter was puzzling over the vision, men from Cornelius knocked on Simon the tanner's door, looking for him. Cornelius was searching for God, three men were searching for Peter, Peter was searching for meaning and direction, and God brought them all together.
Now these men normally would not have rubbed shoulders, since Jews and Gentiles typically didn't mix (v. 28). But God had other ideas, so that they would all discover the joyful message that God accepts people from every nation who fear him and do what is right (vv. 34-36) and that everyone who believes in Jesus Christ receives forgiveness of sins through his name (v. 43).
Jesus told his disciples to GO make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20). Seeking and saving the lost is how Jesus articulated his mission. That is our mission, too. Here we see that people came to Peter before Peter went to them. Today, some churches are finding that people are "coming," ostensibly to search for Pokémon. Wouldn't it be cause for great joy in heaven if some of those searchers ended up finding a whole lot more?
Questions: Where are the particular places that God is calling you to go? To what particular people is God calling you? If you don't know how to answer those questions, why not pray for God to give you directions?
For Further Discussion
1. Respond to this from TWW team member Mary Sells: "Call me the big skeptic onPokémonGo. People chase little invisible things, not because of the places, but because they want to win. There is talk of monetizing the game so that coupons can appear at venues. Will churches add coupons for free baptism? free education? I really do not think Pokémon Go is a venue for churches to increase attendance by youths or any others. The users are simply playing a game."
2. John Updike wrote this about the game of golf: "There is a goodness in the experience of golf that may well be ... a place where something breaks into our workaday world and bothers us forevermore with the hints it gives." How might Updike's remark apply toPokémon Goor to other leisure activities? How might God break into our workaday world and bother us forevermore, and what might such an experience be hinting to us about?
3. Review the modern parable about The Gospel Blimp and discuss how your church can make good choices about how to effectively fulfill your mission. When does a method of delivering the Good News become a gimmick? When is the use of culture to deliver the Good News appropriate?
Responding to the News
Consider how you should respond to the Pokémon Gophenomenon, as an individual and as a church. Will you engage with players? If not, why not? If so, what would motivate you to do so? Brainstorm some ways you might interact with players that would align with your sense of your mission. Here are some possibilities from other churches to get you started. After brainstorming, pick one or two ideas to implement.
1. Post a notice outside your church and on your website and social media pages, saying something like this: "We are a Pokéstop. Get supplies outside. Find Jesus inside."
2. Blog or post that Pokémon have been spotted in your fellowship hall, sanctuary or bell tower. Then sit back and watch what happens. 
3. Offer to recharge game-players' phones, since the game quickly drains batteries.
4. In hot summer weather, set out a water cooler with cups to provide refreshment for players.
5. Engage players in conversation, asking them to tell you how they became interested in the game and to teach you about strategy. Use the game to build friendships old and new.
6. Invite players to check out your services and ministries, to seek after the One who can really satisfy their deepest need (think about the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4).
Prayer
Father God, who heals the broken heart and gives joy to those who seek you, we acknowledge with gratitude all the blessings we have received from you. Help us always to rejoice more in you, the Giver, than in the many gifts you have bestowed upon us. We are awestruck that you so desired to have a loving relationship with us that you willingly sent your only Son to be our Savior. May your Spirit fill us with the joy that comes from discovering who you are and what you have called us to be and to do, for the glory of your name. Amen.
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