Following the success of the use of Flower in Exeter Cathedral last month ( http://www.gamepeople.co.uk/family_family04_8.htm) the clergy were happy to repeat the process. Last Sunday we incorporated the Playstation Journey in the Cathedral’s evening act of worship, Holy Ground.

The congregation took turns playing Journey and were visited by a range of online players who helped them on their way. Other elements of the service continued while the game was projected onto a large screen in the heart of the ancient Cathedral building.

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Zq-dvlZzg0

Images: http://www.gamepeople.co.uk/family_family04_11.htm#images

Explanation: http://www.gamepeople.co.uk/family_family04_11.htm

The original use of Flower in Exeter Cathedral was warmly received and written about in publications as diverse as The Telegraph, Sunday Star, Church Times, Muslim Times, BBC and T3.

Andy Robertson commented on the difference of the two services,“Although Journey was a more disruptive presence in the Exeter Cathedral service, it was also a much more engaging one. In the hustle of elements and meaning, both the game and the worship space benefited.”

Anna Norman-Walker, Diocesan Missioner at the Cathedral, comments,“Worship is not a‘spectator sport’ and anything that helps people to make connections with God and express something of a response to God is worth exploring. Gaming could be a really creative way of engaging with people in a fresh way and could potentially transcend age and culture gaps.”

The service resulted from the Cathedral clergy attending Andy Robertson’s TEDx talk: Sustainable Perspectives in Video Games http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTJUrJ44kew and being keen to put his claims about videogames having deeper meanings to the test.

For more information/images/interviews please contact: editor@gamepeople.co.uk.