Political Bingo

Political Bingo is designed to be a fun game to play while watching or attending political rallies or debates. With this game, players look for and listen for common topics, catch phrases, and things found when going to political event. Bingo cards show various items related to the current political climate. Players can choose from three events: democratic rally, republican rally, or a debate. When the player gets 5 items in a row (either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), the player gets BINGO and the game ends. The player can then create a new card and start over. The player can switch groups and get a new card at any time. For an additional challenge, play a democratic card at a republican event, or vice versa!

This game also includes a two-player mode. Devices connect via bluetooth (no wifi necessary)...iPhones and iPod touches can communicate with each other when running the same app. In the two-player mode, players can "talk smack" to each other, passing messages back and forth (through a basic BlueTooth chat window). This can lead to some heated exchanges and add a new element to the event (especially since the chat process is silent, so that you will not disrupt your neighbors who may be listening intently to the information being presented. A status update is also included at the top of the game board, letting each player know how close the other one is to getting BINGO. When one player gets BINGO, the other device is notified and the game is over. Players can then choose a new card and start a new game. Players do not have to use the same card categories when playing each other. If one player creates a new card, the other player is notified. I tried to choose interesting and common items to find during a political event, and some items may be relatively obscure to make the game more challenging. Also, look for updates over the next 16 months, as new words are invented and specific topics and catch phrases become popular or get repeated enough by the media to take on a life of their own! I hope that this app will make the current political environment more enjoyable, and encourage people to pay attention to the political process. I tried to minimize my own political views in coming up with the initial items, and I welcome suggestions from people from all regions of the political spectrum. I will keep the app respectful and fun.

This app has a similar look and feel to MilesToGo: Bingo and Sports Series: Bingo, which are games developed to help pass the time during car trips or at sporting events. You can look at the screen shots for MTG: Bingo to see the bluetooth chat screens and the general feel of the app. The screen shots for this app focus on the showing sample cards for each political affiliation. Familiarity with any of these apps will help with the others. There are over 70 different items used to construct each bingo card (for each category), so there will be some variation in the bingo cards. This game can be played while attending a rally, speech, or debate. I would appreciate any suggestions for things to include (or remove) in future versions...especially given the nature of politics.