Resemblance of religion and pervasive games: A study among church employees and gamers

Title of the Paper

The Similarities Between Religion and Pervasive Games: A Study of Church Employees and Game Players

Bibliographic Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Intersection of Religion and Games
• Keywords: Religion, Video Games, Metaverse, Gamification, Augmented Reality, Pervasive Games, Technology and Spirituality

Research Background and Problem

• Issues and Challenges:
  • Previous studies have mentioned potential similarities between games, extended reality, and religion/spirituality, but there is limited research specifically on the relationship between pervasive games and religious systems.
  • Pervasive games transform reality into a game arena, altering players' behaviors and modes of social interaction, potentially intersecting with religious beliefs and practices.
• Significance:
  • Video games are a significant part of modern culture, while religion has had a profound influence on human societies throughout history.
  • Understanding the intersection of the two can help shed light on technology-driven social and cultural transformations.
• Research Motivation and Related Work:
  • The study aims to explore how religious elements manifest in technological contexts and analyze how pervasive games evoke quasi-religious phenomena in real-world scenarios.
  • Related research has extended into areas such as "digital theology" and "digital religion," as well as religious themes in video games, but pervasive games remain underexplored.

Solution

• Proposed Approach or Solution:
  • Gather neutral perspectives from professionals in the fields of religion and gaming to analyze the similarities between pervasive games and religion.
  • Employ sociologist Émile Durkheim’s functionalist theory (focusing on the social and psychological functions of religion) as the analytical framework.
• Innovations:
  • Introduced five unique dimensions of analysis: "Shared Premises," "Extended Reality," "Symbolization," "Daily Structuring," and "Resilience and Healing."
  • Participants include Christian (Finnish Evangelical Lutheran) church employees and pervasive game players, providing a novel data sample.
• Implementation Steps and Techniques:
  • Data Collection: Conducted two rounds of surveys to gather perspectives from Finnish Evangelical Lutheran church employees (N=156) and players of games like Pokémon GO (N=98).
  • Data Analysis: Used an iterative qualitative analysis method, guided by Durkheim’s theory to construct and code thematic frameworks.

Research Findings

• Specific Findings:
  • Identified five dimensions of similarity between religion and pervasive games:
    1. Shared Premises: Both religion and games connect communities through shared beliefs, narratives, and concepts, e.g., players collaborate to complete tasks, while believers engage in rituals to share emotions.
    2. Extended Reality: Games reveal hidden layers through augmented reality technology, akin to how religion requires faith as a "lens" to perceive the supernatural world.
    3. Symbolization: Both religious symbols (e.g., the cross) and game icons or virtual content convey higher levels of meaning through symbolic representation.
    4. Daily Structuring: Both are embedded in daily life and restructure behaviors, e.g., religious individuals organize their day through prayer, while players allocate time based on game objectives.
    5. Resilience and Healing: Both religion and games provide psychological comfort and relaxation in daily life.
  • Found that 42.5% of respondents believed there were no similarities between religion and pervasive games, indicating that such functional similarities are not apparent to many.
• Strengths:
  • By applying Durkheim’s perspective, the study positions religion and games as activities that share a "collective consciousness," uncovering rich social dimensions.
• Experimental or Evaluation Results:
  • Through in-depth survey analysis of church employees and game players, the study provides insights into the intersection of technology, religion, and social change.
• Limitations and Future Directions:
  • Limitations: The study focuses primarily on Finnish Christian employees and players, which may limit the generalizability of the findings.
  • Future Directions:
    1. Validate findings in a global context and with other religions (e.g., Islam, Buddhism).
    2. Quantitatively test the prevalence of the identified themes.
    3. Explore potential negative similarities between religion and games.

This study offers in-depth insights into the social functional similarities between religion and pervasive games, providing theoretical support and practical implications for the fields of HCI, religious studies, and game design.