As the COVID19 pandemic continues to keep extended families, youth groups, and church friends physically separate, here are some games to enjoy via video conference (Zoom, FaceTime, Google Hangout).
Zoom Bingo Bingo is one of the more popular video conference games at the moment. That's because the game transitions well to the virtual setting and is conducive to both large and small groups. 2020 has been full of crazy, weird, and unexpected events, one after another. Why not commemorate it with this entertaining 2020 Bingo Game? Play with your coworkers, friends, and family in person or virtually via Zoom, Skype or Google Meet video calls! Perfect game for a New Years Eve Zoom Party!
These games can be used as stand alone events or as part of larger programs, for example as a meeting ice breaker or part of a youth group gathering. Either way, if you are using games in a church context we encourage you to include a formation element. You might begin with a prayer and brief check in (tell us your name, one thing you are mourning today, and one thing giving you hope) or you might end with Compline (here’s a Google Slide deck of Compline ready to use).
Bingo
Bingo For Zoom Meeting
Bingo is simple & extremely intergenerational. It translates well to Zoom and requires basically no prep work.
Suggested Age Range: 3 Years-Older Adult
Tips & Ideas: I generally do 4-5 rounds with my intergenerational group. The first three winners get prizes (a $5 gift card for ice cream in the mail). We close with Compline led by volunteers from the group.
Resources: My group uses these free printable bingo cards. The first time we played, I sent cards in the mail to families. But these can also be printed at home. The “Traditional Cards” offers 75 unique cards. I’ve been using a physical bingo board and spinner to call the numbers, but you can also use an online bingo number generator like this one.
Pictionary
In Pictionary one player draws a picture of a word/phrase that the other plays have not seen. Other players try to guess the word/phrase based on the drawing.
Suggested Age Range: Lower Elementary-Adult
Tips & Ideas: My group used the whiteboard feature of Zoom. I made everyone a co-host so they could pull up the whiteboard when it was their turn. I sent words via text, but they could also be sent privately in the chat. We did not keep score.
Resources: This Pictionary word generator worked well for my group. As the moderator, I picked slightly easier words for our youngest players and used the “hard” or “really hard” category for adults.
Scattergories
Scattergories is a quick thinking game that draws out players creativity. Players number a piece of paper 1-5. They are given a letter of the alphabet and five categories. They have 90 seconds to fill in all five categories with words/phrases that start with the chosen letter. Players are awarded points for each unique answer.
Suggested Age Range: Upper Elementary-Adult
Tips & Ideas: This game was a huge hit with a middle school group at church as well as a group of six adult friends.
Resources: Here’s a Google Slide Deck version of the game. Or you can share your screen and play this online version that offers 11 categories per round. If you want to roll letters for each round, here’s a Scattergories dice and timer.
Jeopardy
Jeopardy is a great game for accessing a groups knowledge on a particular topic (for example, the season of Lent), but the topics can also be purely fun (for example, music, gardening, TV shows).
Suggested Age Range: Upper Elementary-Adult
Tips & Ideas: Assign a score keeper. Make sure you keep track of which categories have already been picked (for example, liturgical season for 200).
Resources: Here’s a template to make your own Jeopardy game using Google Slides. Here’s a keynote presentation with categories relating to the seasons of the church year.
Lamentations or Taylor Swift Lyric
Participants in “Lamentations or Taylor Swift Lyric” are presented with a quote and asked to decide if it is a passage from the book of Lamentations or a lyric from a Taylor Swift song.
Suggested Age Range: Middle School-Young Adult
Tips & Ideas: Depending on the size of your group, this can be played in teams or by voting using the poll feature in Zoom.
Resources: This game is available from Download Youth Ministries for $4.00 per powerpoint. There are four versions available for purchase here.
Balderdash
In Balderdash, participants are presented with an obscure word or person. Each player makes up a definition or reason the person is famous. The moderator reads all the answers to the group, mixing in the real answer. Everyone votes on the correct answer. Participants are awarded points for guessing correctly as well as for fooling others with their fake answers.
Suggested Age Range: Middle School-Adult
Tips & Ideas: For this game it is easiest to have everyone on a separate device so they can message the host separately using private chat. Alternatively, each player can text the host if everyone has a cell phone. If you have a large group, have someone make a list of the answers in the chat so everyone can vote more easily or use the poll feature in Zoom.
Resources: You can play using this Google Slide deck or share your screen and play this online version.
Digital Escape Room
Sydney Krawiec, a Youth Services Librarian in McMurray, PA creatively used Google Forms to create a Harry Potter themed digital escape room! The storyline is compelling and the challenges include math and geography. It might take a group about 20 minutes.
Suggested Age Range: Upper Elementary-Middle School
Tips & Ideas: This game works well with screen share and someone reading each page. Players may want to have paper and pen available.
Resources: Here’s the link to this escape room!
Host a bingo game for up to 1000 players
Bingo Maker is paving the way for the future of bingo gaming. With our web platform, you can host a virtual bingo game for up to 1000 players using virtual. Players can join your game on the Games List page. When you activate the bingo caller, you can play as many games as you want for three hours. You can modify the winning patterns every time you restart a new game. You can save bingo cards as a PDF file and go print them in a print shop. We also provide solutions for those looking for simple solutions such as the Free Virtual caller and the Free Virtual Card. You can host your virtual game with a video conferencing service such as Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Facebook Live Stream or YouTube Live Stream.
Free Virtual Bingo Game
Host a Free Virtual Bingo Game every day with up to 25 players. You can try and learn how it works. Log in to your Bingo Maker account using Facebook or your email/password. In the top menu bar, click “Free Virtual Game”.
Free Bingo Caller
Here is the free bingo caller version of the Bingo Maker web application. This version is not linked to the bingo cards of the game, and you have to manually validate the winners.
Free Virtual Card
If you want to simply play a card on your device right away, then our free virtual card is perfect for you. Click the squares and get a BINGO!
Play bingo with virtual cards
In order to save ink and paper, players can join your game and play a virtual card on any device that can access the internet and that has a web browser. Players can join your virtual game on their devices at BingoMaker.com, and click “Join a game“. They search your game name, click “Join”, enter your password, and receive their virtual cards. There is no login process for players to get their cards.
Host the game with the online bingo caller
Our virtual bingo caller allows you to draw random numbers as in professional bingo halls. Our bingo caller is linked to the cards, so it tells you in real time the winners of the game with printed cards and virtual cards. Make manual or automatic random draws of numbers with our bingo caller. You can also make the draws using your own physical bingo cage with numbered balls, and click the numbers with the feature “Manual selection of the draws”.
Choose from a list of 64 winning patterns
We have a choice of 64 different winning patterns for players to get a bingo. When you restart a new game, the players cards will be reset, and they keep playing with the same cards. Players can have only one card per device or web browser.
Once the game has started, its name will be displayed on the Games List page.
Display the bingo flashboard to players on another screen
With our virtual bingo caller, you can open in another window of our web browser the bingo flashboard of your game. You can then display the flashboard to players on a TV or projector screen and follow the draws in real time.
Make custom cards ready to print
Make bingo cards and play a game has never been easier. With the web app Bingo Maker, anyone can organize a bingo game like a pro. You will be able to make bingo cards with the parameters of your choice, design the cards by importing images and play a game with the virtual bingo caller. Print the desired number of cards or distribute virtual cards to the players and start the game.
You can insert publicity around the cards in order to promote your business or the coming events. For example, if you make bingo cards for a Christmas party, it could be a good idea to insert winter season related images around the cards.
Bingo For Zoom
Several settings can be changed when making the cards to allow maximum freedom for users to make custom cards and host a personalized bingo game.
An intuitive interface
The cards generated by the application are listed by game in the table of the app’s main page. This system allows you to manage your games and create other versions of earlier games.
The top right menu allows you to add credits, view your transaction history, edit your profile and communicate with the support team. To edit a game, use the tool icon to the right of the game name. The last added or modified game will be displayed at the top of the list. The latest design or simulation of a game will be displayed at the top of the game files. You can clean your games list by archiving older ones. The information about a game can be quickly viewed when going on the (i) icon to the right of the game name.
Create an account with Facebook or an email address
Bingo For Zoom Meetings
To use the application, all users must create a unique account in which the cards will be saved. We have put at your disposal two connection methods to facilitate the subscription process. If you create an account using Facebook, Bingo Maker will only get public information to create your account. If you do not have Facebook or you do not want to connect with it, create an account using an “Email / Password”. A confirmation email will be sent to verify your account (it could be in your spam folder). You can modify your account in the section “Edit my profile”.
List of web services:
Our web application is a pay-per-use service, each function costs credits depending on how many cards you have in your bingo game. We also provide free services: Free Virtual Game; Free Bingo caller; Free virtual Card.
- Create custom bingo cards for up to 1000 players per game using numbers or custom words and phrases;
- Host the game with our virtual bingo caller and validate the winners. Distribute virtual bingo cards and/or printed bingo cards to players;
- Create a codes list for players to get their cards. Manage the distribution of virtual cards that better fits your needs;
- Create the design of the cards by importing images around the printed cards;
- Simulate a bingo game with your cards and predict the outcome of a winners.
Thank you for using our web services
Bingo For Zoom Game
The satisfaction of our customers is at the center of our concerns. You can now make your own bingo cards and discover all the possibilities the web application offers. We hope you enjoy your experience using our web application Bingo Maker.