Bible bingo game

Abstract

A board game 20 is provided including a plurality of planar shaped game boards 22. Each game board 22 is provided with square playing surfaces 24 having twenty-five square shaped playing spaces 26 formed on each playing surface. The playing spaces 26 are provided with written Biblical indicia 32 thereon which represent answers 34 to Biblical questions. A plurality of rectangular shaped game cards 40 are provided. The rectangular shaped game cards 40 are provided with written Biblical indicia 42thereon which represents Biblical questions 44 which correspond to the Biblical answers 34 on the playing surface 24. The board game 20 is also provided with rectangular shaped game pieces 46. The game pieces 46 are used in conjunction with the game boards 22 and the rectangular shaped game cards 40 to implement the game playing strategy for ultimately winning the board game 20.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a board game, and more particularly to a Bible Bingo game to inspire, encourage and motivate the players to learn about the word of God and his commands.

In an ever growing technically oriented and stress laden society games utilized for their entertainment and intellectual value are growing more and more important. Thus games of skill and strategy have become very popular forms of entertainment. Board games that motivate and help to improve the quality of life of the players are also just as important. However some of the more popular board games although motivating are not necessarily concerned with improving quality of life.

In an effort to provide motivating board games they are more often than not games that are made to be more complex, often to the point of being too complex for entertainment purposes and hardly ever address the issues of improving quality of life.

What is needed is a board game which is not particularly complex and which improves the quality of life by motivating the user to learn about the word of God and God's commands. One approach to doing this is by providing a game which promotes and encourages bible study so that insight is gained on the Holy scriptures that can be applied to everyday life while also allowing the player to recognize and follow God's commands.

BACKGROUND ART

A number of attempts have been made to provide board games to satisfy our need for entertainment while providing biblical insight.

One such game is illustrated in U. S. Pat. NO. 3,952,423 which discloses a bible quiz game. The game of this invention is designed to teach the books of the Bible. The game includes a plurality of slots extending into its edges. The slots are arranged in separate groups which are identified by traditional category titles. A plurality of blocks representing the books of the bible are intended to be inserted into the slots in the proper order. Grooves are formed in opposite sides of each block mate so that the edges of the slot in the block can be slidably inserted to be interlockingly retained on the board. The board is further provided with an opening which permits it to be hung near a wall for group instruction purposes.

Another board game is disclosed in U. S. Pat. NO. 5,449,177 which discloses a Bible game and method of playing same. The game of this invention is an education and recreational game for learning various Bible scriptures. The game introduces the subject matter of the bible in a game format in the context of the three Biblical presentations as presented in the Christian Bible. The Bible game includes three embodiments of the game board imprinted with a plurality of scripture books which are segregated into eight categories representing eight groups of emotional and physical human attributes. The categorized attributes represented in the three different embodiments include the Spiritual Man, the Cardinal Man and the Material Man. The game is played by selecting a scripture card, placing it on the corresponding scripture box, reading the cited scripture in the Bible and describing it in reference to the Biblical personality of the selected embodiment.

Although board games such as these may be enjoyable games, there is a need for a game which in addition to promoting and encouraging Bible study will also allow one to gain insight on the Holy scriptures that can be applied to everyday life situations and teach one how to recognize and follow God's commands and more readily help to improve upon quality of life on earth.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

A board game in accordance with the principles of the invention include a plurality of planar board members. Each planar board member includes a playing surface having a plurality of square shaped adjacently aligned playing spaces formed on an upper surface thereof. Each playing space of the playing surface is provided with written Biblical indicia aligned therein which represents the answer to a question. A plurality of rectangular shaped game cards are provided. Each of the rectangular shaped game cards is provided with indicia thereon which provides a distinct Biblical question. The board game is also provided with a plurality of bible shaped game pieces. Each game piece is formed with a surface marking Holy Bible formed on an upper surface thereof. The game pieces are used in conjunction with the rectangular shaped game cards and the planar shaped board members to implement the game playing procedure and the strategy for ultimately winning the game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The details of the invention will be described in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plain view of a board game in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a plain view of a sample of the game board cards of the board game in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a board game piece in accordance with the principles of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plain view of the game board showing various examples of how to win the game in accordance with the principles of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFFERED EMBODIMENT

Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 there is shown a board game, generally designated, by the numeral, 20. The board game 20 is provided with a plurality of rectangular shaped planar shaped game boards, (only one shown) generally designated, by the numeral, 22. The game board 22 is provided with a playing surface, generally designated, by the numeral 24. The playing surface 24 is provided with a plurality of adjacently aligned square playing spaces 26 formed thereon. There are twenty-five playing spaces 26 on the playing surface 24. The playing surface 24 is designed so that the playing spaces 26 are formed in five vertically descending adjacently aligned rows 28 and five horizontally extending adjacently aligned rows 30. The playing space 26 in the center of the playing surface 24 is designated with the indicia marking FREE formed therein. The other twenty-four of the playing spaces 26 are identified with distinct Biblical indicia markings 32 formed thereon which represents an answer 34 to a Biblical question. For example one of the playing surfaces 26 may read Abraham or Martha & Mary.

The game board 22 is also provided at an upper portion 36 thereof with the indicia marking BINGO positioned so that one of the letters of the marking is adjacent aligned above one of the vertically descending rows 28. The game board 22 is also provided at the upper portion 36 thereof above the indicia marking BINGO a surface marking Bible Bingo formed thereon and a pictorial representation of an open Bible and cross. These indicia markings identify the game.

The board game 20 is also provided with a set of rectangular shaped game cards 40 (FIG. 2). Each one of the cards 40 is provided with distinct Biblical indicia markings 42 formed thereon. The Biblical indicia 42 on each one of the game cards 40 is a Biblical question 44 and the answer 34 to the question which will correspond to the answer 34 on the playing surface of the board 22. Each one of the game cards 40 is also provided with one of the letters of the indicia marking BINGO. This identifies the vertically descending or horizontally extending row 28 and 30 with which the card 40 corresponds to.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the board game 20 is also provided with a plurality of game pieces or chips, generally designated, by the numeral 46. The game pieces 46 are each shaped like a bible. Each game piece 46 is provided with an upper surface, generally designated, by the numeral, 48 and a lower surface (not shown), corresponding side walls 50 and an end walls 52. The upper surface 48 of the game piece 46 is provided with a surface indicia marking Holy Bible.

The game is played by a reader who reads the game cards 40 and one or more players. Each player gets a game card 40 and a plurality of Holy Bible chips or pieces 46. Each player then covers the FREE center space 26 of the card 22. When the game begins a Biblical question is read from a card 40 along with the bingo letter designation. If a player has the answer 34 on their board in the appropriate letter designated vertically descending or horizontally extending row 28 and 30 respectively, a chip 46 is placed over the space. The reader then continues to read Biblical questions 44 and the players continue to place a chip 46 over the appropriate answer 34 on the board 22 if the answer appears on the player's board. This process is continued until a player has all playing surfaces covered in a row as for example as illustrated in FIG. 4. The row of spaces 26 can either be in a horizontal configuration as illustrated by numeral 54, a vertical configuration as illustrated by numeral 56 or a diagonal configuration as illustrated by numeral 58. Once either of these is accomplished the player then calls Bingo and the game is over. The results of the course is that the players are motivated to learn the word of God and his commands while also improving the quality of their lives.

This invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. However, it should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claim.

Claims

1. A board game including: a plurality of rectangular shaped board members; a planar playing surface formed on a upper portion of each one of the board members; a plurality of square adjacently aligned playing surface spaces each space having distinct designated markings thereon formed on the planar playing surface; a plurality of rectangular shaped card members each card member having distinct designated markings thereon; and a plurality of rectangular shaped game pieces which are used in conjunction with the square shaped player surface spaces and the rectangular shaped card members to implement the game procedure.

2. A board game as defined in claim 1 wherein the distinct markings on each one of the square adjacently aligned playing surface spaces includes distinct Biblical indicia markings which represents an answer to a Biblical question.

3. A board game as defined in claim 2 wherein the distinct designated marking on each one of the rectangular shaped card members includes distinct Biblical indicia markings which represents a Biblical question that corresponds to an answer on one of the playing surface spaces.

4. A board game as defined in claim 3 wherein each one of the plurality of rectangular shaped game pieces is shaped as a Bible.

5. A board game as defined in claim 4 wherein the square surface spaces are formed in five vertically descending adjacently aligned rows and five horizontally extending adjacently aligned rows.

6. A board game as defined in claim 5 wherein the playing surface space in the center of the vertically descending and horizontally extending rows has a distinct marking designated as FREE.

7. A board game as defined in claim 6 wherein each one of the vertically descending rows of surface spaces includes a distinct single letter marking indicia formed on an upper portion thereof.

8. A board game as defined in claim 7 wherein each one of the rectangular shaped card members includes a single letter marking indicia formed on an upper portion thereof that will correspond to one of the single letter marking indicia on the vertically descending rows.

9. A board game as defined in claim 8 wherein each game piece includes: an upper planar wall; a lower planar wall spaced from the upper planar wall; a first vertically extending side wall; a second vertically extending side wall; an upper end wall; a lower end wall spaced from the upper end wall; and the upper planar wall, lower planar wall, first and second side walls and the upper and lower end walls being coupled together in the configuration of a bible.

10. A board game as defined in claim 9 wherein the upper wall of the game piece includes a indicia marking designated as Holy Bible.

11. A board game as defined in claim 10 wherein the rectangular shaped board member has identifying indicia markings formed on an upper portion thereof.