JourneyOnline
Released in July 2016, free-to-play augmented reality mobile game “Pokémon GO” has taken the streets of Brisbane (and world) by storm.
If you find a crowd of teenagers to thirty-somethings loitering on your church property staring at their phone, you may be amused to find your church has become a “Pokéstop” or “Pokémon gym”. A Uniting Church teenager has named Indooroopilly, Kenmore and Chapel Hill Uniting Churches as Pokémon gyms as players have had to walk around in the real world to move their avatar in the game.
While the game is being praised for incidental exercise, safety concerns have also been raised. Northern Territory police have reminded players to “look up, away from your phone and both ways before crossing the street”.
Queensland Synod general secretary Rev Heather den Houting encourages church members to embrace and engage with the young people hanging outside their church property. Perhaps you’d like to turn the virtual rest stop into a reality and supply chairs and refreshments!
Has your church been identified as a Pokéstop or Pokémon gym? Let us know in the comments below.
Download Pokémon GO on your iOS and Android device.
Yes, St Davids Coopers Plains is also a Pokemon Gym.
Broadwater Road Uniting Church isn’t a gym, but it is a Pokestop – a place for people to stop and collect important supplies for their adventure! How appropriate!