Nick Drage3d ago
Adrian Hon

As bizarre as this game might seem, during the medieval period it was incredibly popular for people to undertake "virtual pilgrimages" in which they imagined they were following the footsteps of Jesus or Mary, and at points actually *be* them.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1198970/I_Am_Jesus_Christ/

Save 10% on I Am Jesus Christ on Steam

Walk in the footsteps of Jesus in this immersive first-person retelling of His life, from baptism to resurrection. Perform iconic miracles, meet biblical figures, and explore the Holy Land from Jerusalem to Galilee. Experience the story of the Messiah in I Am Jesus Christ.

Apr 2 at 2:32pmWeb
Show threadAdrian Hon3d ago

People adapted travelogues from pilgrimages who'd visited Jerusalem, changed them into the second person, and turned them into highly imaginative and physicalised experiences.

They'd literally walk the same number steps that Jesus did between locations in Jerusalem, etc.!

Show threadAdrian Hon3d ago

Denied the chance to go to Jerusalem (or indeed, anywhere) medieval religious women took the lead in this, but their virtual pilgrimage guides were popular enough to go beyond their convent walls into the greater populace.

You also have "Passion Parks" like Sacro Monte that reproduced Jerusalem...

Show threadAdrian Hon3d ago

According to the Jesuits who ran Sacro Monte, visitors thought its dioramas were so realistic they had to be reminded they weren't in the real Jerusalem.

IMO this is just hype from the Jesuits, but the point is that an immersive experience of the Passion was incredibly popular!

Show threadAdrian Hon3d ago

Anyway, my forthcoming book about the history and future of immersive experiences is all about this sort of thing.

Hopefully I can announce more details about it soon!

Show threadAaron A. Reed3d ago
@adrianhon So looking forward to it!!
Show threadstony kark3d ago
@adrianhon i can forgive illiterate, uneducated serfs for thinking that was a good idea but am unable to extend the same courtesy to modern humans
Show threadClayfoot3d ago
@adrianhon No VR support?! Unforgivable.
Show threadPete Ashton3d ago
@adrianhon I was listening to an In Our Time about this recently https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000s9qp and it’s fascinatingly similar to certain creative/art walking practices. I know of people using a map for one place to navigate another (London in Paris, for example).
In Our Time - Medieval Pilgrimage - BBC Sounds

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Christian pilgrimage in Europe in the Middle Ages.

BBC
Show threadAdrian Hon3d ago
@pete Oh yeah, I think this is actually the ep I learned about virtual pilgrimages! Kathryn Rudy is my main source.
Show threadtinydoctor3d ago
@adrianhon I reckon it's cheaper and safer than travelling to Israel to experience Jerusalem Syndrome. https://www.xprojectmagazine.com/archives/paranormal/jerusalemsyndrome.html
X-Project: The Jerusalem Syndrome

Every year in Israel's Holy City, a handful of Christian tourists are suddenly transformed from seemingly healthy, normal people to street preaching, psalm singing Bible characters often garbed in nothing more than a hotel bed sheet...