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study and work as theologians of the minority schools the opportunity to receive the higher education that a state should provide. Up to now, these teachers
have had to study in Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, mainly. In our paper we focus on the academic, political, theological and social reactions in the Greek
public press caused by the recent approval of the Islamic Studies Division establishment. By collecting and presenting the publications of the most popular
Greek newspapers, we are critically examining the position that the press has taken on the specific topic. Based on the theories of agenda setting and
framing we shall attempt to highlight their approach linking it with their general political orientation. Furthermore, we are studying the sources they have
used for shaping their views and whether there are undercurrents of Islam and Muslim hostility.
PN 116
Digital Media as a Tool for Inter-Religious Dialogue for Young People in Catalonia
A. Sabaté Gauxachs
1
1
Ramon Llull University, Barcelona, Spain
Catalonia hosts people from a wide range of different cultures and religions while a third of its population is between 15 and 34 years. In this context, almost
90% of the population owns digital devices. Our project focuses on Catalan youth from all over the country, only young people from the city of Barcelona
are excluded for being analysed in future projects. We aim to study their consumption of digital media, understanding the term as social media, apps and
websites especially in religious activities. Religious apps, games, websites, online communities, as well as their participation in forums are some of the main
issues we want to discover. All religions and confessions are important in our research but we want to emphasize religious minorities.We also want to unveil
if these devices and systems are a tool for integration and inter-religious dialogue. For achieving our goal, we interviewed more than 1500 young people
aged between 12–18 years using a previously prepared survey, available for them online or in paper support; high schools and youth organizations also
contributed sending the questionnaire to their members. Social media has also been a digital space where to contact youth. A part from these interviews,
our methodology included netnography; we analysed online religious communities where young people is present to compare and contrast the results
with their answers. Theoretically, this research is based on previous investigations on communication and mediatization but also on sociology of religion.
Important authors from all these fields are our references. Silvia Collins-Mayo, Ángel Castiñeira, Javier Elzo or Marc Regenerus are some examples. Reports
carried out by institutions and governments about youth and also about technology are in our bibliography too. Results show that young people in Catalonia
own new technologies and use them very frequently. Despite this, the use of these media in religious activities is not frequent. Answers show that religion
is not one of the most important issues for the majority of Catalan youth. For youth from religious minorities, new technologies are an important tool and
a new space to live their faith and spirituality; religious online communities are not big but are strong. We have discovered some religious games and apps
as Islamhouse, Timesprayer or Muslimpro. This research is lead by Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture and supported by Catalan gov‑
ernment through its Religious Issues office (Direcció General d’Afers Religiosos) and also the centre devoted to academic funds (Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts
Universitaris i de Recerca).
PN 117
The Influence of Religion on Digital Games and Vice Versa
S. Gabriel
1
1
Kirchliche Pädagogische Hochschule Wien/Krems, Wien, Austria
Apart from cartoons, films, books and other media one can find references to religious topics and elements in digital games as well. As computer games
have become a mass phenomenon and provide interaction for the players (in contrast to books and films), they are worth taking a closer look at them. Game
designers create whole worlds for players to interact in (cf. Jenkins 2004) and thus lead to complex networks of intertextual references and conversation
topics which include religion or religious topics, either explicitly or implicitly (cf. Heidbrink et al. 2014, Jung 2014). Some game design companies specialize
on designing games with obvious religious topics like Left Behind 4, World atWar (Left Beind Games, 2011) which is based on an interpretation of the Book
of Revelations. In order to reach more players, these companies also move to social networks like Facebook. The Facebook app Journey of Jesus: the Calling
(Lightside Games 2012) is described as the first-ever video game based on the life of Jesus. Players in this quest-driven adventure game travel across
locations known from the Bible. However, the game was also heavily criticised for its way of trying to make money from it (as typical for many free-to-play
games). Thus, player can invest real money in order to advance faster in the game. There are many examples showing how different groups of people influ‑
ence the religious contents of games. One famous game example is BioShock Infinite (Irrational Games, 2013) in which a game character had to be changed
after the creative director discussed with people on his team with a very religious background. The game also started a heavy discussion among gamers
because of one scene where players have to undergo a forced baptism. Some players even refused to play the game anymore and demanded their money
back. Another example showing that games are not only seen as entertainment without any influence on people’s lives, is Faith Fighter, a game produced
by the Italian company Molleindustria (2009). The game depicts comic style versions of Jesus, Prophet Muhammad, Buddha, God, the Taoist deity Budai
and the Hindu god Ganesh which are meant to fight each other in martial-arts style. After protests by the Organisation of Islamic Conference the game was
temporarily taken offline. The sequel of the game comes with Muhammad’s face censored and instead of fighting each other the player must bestow“love”
by clicking on each religious figure in turn. As these few examples show, there are many connections between digital games and real world religions. Game
designers might use religion to make their games more interesting, more realistic but also in order to“teach”players. Players, on the other hand, do not take
everything they are presented within a game as mere entertainment and try to influence game designers decisions, as well. The presentation will address
these issues by discussing some examples.