Currents News Staff
In 2016, the world was overtaken by the immersive reality app ‘Pokemon Go’ that invited players to explore their cities catching characters.
Today, “Follow JC Go” attempts to revive the excitment of its predececor. This time, instead of chasing Pokemon, one searches for important religious figures.
As the World Youth Day (WYD) approaches, the Ramon Pane Foundation had the idea to create this app where young people can walk around their cities learning about religious figures in a fun and interactive way.
Currents News spoke to one of the app’s developers, Hugo Flores Arcega, and he says the app is an important evangelization tool.
“The most important thing for us in this app, we’re trying to bring into the church, those guys that not very frequently go to church,” said Arcega.
The figures to look out for are saints, Bible characters, the different titles for Mary and even local friends playing nearby.
Using location services, this immersive experience allows you to collect members for your “evangelism team,” or e-team. You add them by clicking on the saints or figures as you walk in your surrounding area.
In order to have the saint or Bible figure on your team, you must also answer a short trivia question about the person. If answered correctly, the player also wins points toward leveling up.
Once in your collection, each figure can be clicked on to receive more details about their lives and the role they played in the Church.
According to Arcega, the app has already gained some traction within niche online communities.
“I was watching some YouTubers, and I found a young guy in Spain who is not a Christian. He said ‘I am not a Christian. I don’t believe in any religion. But I found this app and I think it’s a good one because it’s about values. It’s about culture. It’s about education. I think we can really use this app,’” said Arcega.
As you walk around using “Follow JC Go,” you can collect these figures along with bread, water, and tokens. These coins are used to advance in level within the game and replenish bread and water when running low.
The app also encourages moments of reflection and prayer when walking by hospitals, schools and churches.
“Follow JC Go” was officially released on October 17, after nearly two years of work by developers. This virtual reality game is available for free in the App store and Google Play.