More than 60,000 users in Italy play Fantapapa, an online video game inspired by fantastic football which forces players to build a team of cardinals who, according to them, have the best chance of becoming the next Pope.
To participate, players must choose 11 cardinals whom they consider the frontrunners in the next conclave, which takes place for next week.
They must then also designate a “captain” – the cardinal whom they imagine is the most likely to become the next pontiff – and a “goalkeeper”, or the one who, according to them, is the least papal.
Once they have chosen their “team”, the players could predict the name of the new pope, whether his priorities are more progressive or conservative, what day the Pope will be elected and how many attempts will take the cardinals to decide the new pontiff.
Each correct prediction scores points, which led to a league painting – and finally, a winner.
The co-creator of the game, Pietro Pace, said that they had been inspired by the success of Fantacalcio, a fantastic football game, and Fantasanremo, a fantastic game of the song competition.
“We tried to apply the same logic to the conclave in substance,” said Pace.
Another co-creator, Mauro Vanetti, said that speculation on the next Pope was a major subject of discussion in Italy. He explained that the creators of the game aimed to explore the popular feeling, while respecting the solemnity of the question.
“We know that religious hierarchies are part of the power of this country and also say internationally, so it is a historical event and it seemed interesting to take it on the one hand, but also based on real data,” said Vanetti.
The conclave, where the college of cardinals gathers to elect the new pope, will begin next Wednesday. More than a hundred cardinal voters will be locked inside the Vatican sixtine chapel and will participate in several voting cycles until a cardinal receives a majority of two thirds.
Although the conclave process is surrounded by mystery, which makes it difficult to predict what could be the final decision of the cardinals, that did not prevent the participants from choosing their favorites.
Until now, the best choices of the players include the secretary of state of the deceased pontiff, the Italian cardinal Pietro Parolin, followed closely by another Italian, Matteo Zuppi, Archbishop of Bologna, and third online, Cardinal Philippin Luis Antonio Tagle.
