The Bible Game Manual

Welcome! The Bible Game can be played by individuals, families, teams, and even entire churches. It’s a field-tested Bible quiz game that has been optimized for desktop PCs, laptops and projectors, offering standard and widescreen video resolution modes.

Double-click The Bible Game Manual desktop shortcut to open the offline version of the manual, if needed.

1. How to Install the Game

This video tutorial will show you how to play The Bible Game in single-player mode.

2. Starting the Game

Use The Bible Game start menu entry or desktop shortcut to run the game. If you experience problems, choose The Bible Game – Safe Mode start menu entry to run the program in compatibility mode; this will allow the game to run fine on older computers as well.

You should also use The Bible Game – Safe Mode option to run the game on screens and/or projectors that have a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Choose The Bible Game desktop shortcut or the start menu option indicated in the image above to run the game in wide-screen mode, which is perfect for monitors and projectors that have a 16:9 aspect ratio.

The game begins by displaying the main menu.

– “START” begins a new game.

– “HELP” displays the built-in version of this manual. In-game help is always available by clicking the ‘Help’ button in the upper left corner of the screen.

– “QUIT” ends the game.

– “DONATE” opens the default browser and accesses The Bible Game’s donation page.

The ‘Start’ button displays a panel that allows you to select the desired number of players/teams.

To play the game in single-player/training mode, choose 1 player/team, and then click ‘Next.’

To play with your family, friends, or church members, create the desired number of teams, and then choose 2 to 6 players/teams.

Pro tip: We recommend limiting the number of teams to 3 or 4 to decrease waiting times.

The image above shows a 3-player/team game example. The “Next” button will open the “Team Colors” panel, which allows each team to choose its preferred color.

3. Team Colors

Make sure to keep all the teams as balanced as possible regarding Biblical knowledge. This might mean that teams don’t have the same number of players.

Have each team choose one of the active (highlighted) colors on the screen. Only the first three colors are active in the 3-team game below, for example. In this case, the players/teams should choose between red, blue, and orange; the green, yellow, and purple team colors are disabled.

When each team has chosen their color, click ‘OK’ to have the computer pick the starting team. Ask the referee to assign team colors if participants can’t decide quickly enough.

People running the game in single-player/training mode won’t see the color selection screen; they will always play with the red team.

4. The Score Panel

The score panel is displayed at the beginning of the game, and after each question that has been answered correctly. This feature allows teams to see their progress and compare scores.

Continue the game by clicking the ‘Play’ button in the upper left corner of the screen.

You can also win points by answering the questions that have been missed by the other teams.

These points are added to the ones that are displayed by the score panel, and their total is visible on the in-game score panel.

5. Game Rules

The Bible Game can be a very effective tool for evangelism. It can be played by people who have never read the Bible and have joined a team of believers.

Here are some recommendations, which will ensure that all the players have a great experience, regardless of their Bible-related skills.

Create balanced teams. It’s not fun to be on a team that can’t answer simple Bible questions. If you have 11 people playing a 2-team game, for example, feel free to create a team of seven people and another one of four, if this increases the chances of having a great, balanced game.

Choose a referee to control the computer. This role can be assigned to one of the players. We recommend using a dedicated referee if the game involves large teams.

Pick a referee who can keep the audience engaged during the game, but not go overboard by making fun of others, etc. Be sure to choose an authentic believer as a referee.

No one is allowed to use any Bible-related materials during the game. However, players who belong to the same team should cooperate. They work together, but take turns answering questions.

The image shows two different examples of how you can set up the teams.

Only the current player can give a final answer. The referee will take this answer into account, even if the rest of the team has a different opinion.

Each team can benefit from two special features, which are available once per game:

– ‘Ask an Elder’ will highlight the correct answer with a probability of 70% to 98%.

– ‘Strike One’ will disable one of the wrong answers.

You need to answer a set of 15 questions correctly to get to 1,000,000 Bible points. People who manage to reach the million mark will have a nice surprise.

6. Gameplay

Click the question mark in the center of the screen to display the question. Use the ‘Ask an Elder’ or ‘Strike One’ options for difficult questions; they are active only once per game.

Try to answer before the 60-second countdown timer reaches zero. The ‘time expired’ sound will be triggered a second time after 20 more seconds. If you hear the sound, it’s time to tell the referee your answer.

The referee will select the chosen answer, and then click the CPU button to verify it:

– If the answer is correct, the score panel will display your progress.

– If the answer is incorrect, the current game will end.

After an incorrect answer, a new CPU button click will reveal the correct answer. For multiplayer games, the other teams will have a chance to win points by answering the current question.

Single-player/training games end when the player misses the correct answer. Multiplayer games don’t end automatically; they can be played for as many rounds as desired until the game is shut down.

7. Winning Points

Each team can earn (or lose) points by answering the question that was missed by the current team.

The image above shows a 3-team game example. The blue team was playing, and it missed the correct answer. The computer will display the names of the teams that can win points (red and orange, in this case).

Any team can pass, but let’s assume that both teams want to answer. A member of each team will secretly tell the referee their answer. Once the referee has gotten the answers from all the teams that want to play, a CPU button click will reveal the correct answer.

It’s time to adjust the scores! The referee will click the ‘+’ or ‘-‘ button (once) for each team that has answered, giving it points or penalizing it.

Then, a new CPU button click will resume the game, moving on to the next playing team.

8. Single-Player Mode Tutorial

This video tutorial will show you how to play The Bible Game in single-player mode.

You don’t have to play the game on your own, of course; you can team up with friends or family members, for example.

9. Multiplayer Mode Tutorial

This video tutorial will show you, the game referee, how to play The Bible Game in multiplayer mode.

The referee can be one of the players; however, we recommend using a dedicated referee for games that involve dozens of players or more.

10. How to Play with the Entire Church

This video tutorial will show you how to play The Bible Game with the entire church. Yes, hundreds of people can play this game at the same time!

11. How to Give or Take Points

The following video tutorial will show you, the game referee, how to give or take points from the teams.

Why would you want to do that? Well, maybe one of the teams is making a lot of noise, so the currently playing team can’t concentrate.

Or maybe somebody cheated and tried to find the correct answer to a difficult question by looking it up on the Internet.

Perhaps a team member did something great, and their team should be rewarded for that.

No matter the cause, The Bible Game includes a built-in system that allows you to give or take points from any team.

12. How to Update the Game

The following video tutorial will show you, the game referee, how to give or take points from the teams.

13. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can we use The Bible Game in our church, Christian camps, youth conferences, family gatherings, VBS, etc. freely?
A: Sure! If you like the game, please consider donating to keep it alive and support its further development.

Q: How can I play several single-player/training games in a row, without having to restart the game after each loss?
A: A multiplayer game continues to run until the players stop it. So, start a 2-player game and play with both teams for as long as you want. Quit the game when you have played enough.

Q: The display is garbled when starting, or after exiting the game. What should I do?
A: Your video card may use an outdated driver. Start the game once again; it might resolve the problem. If this doesn’t work, you may need to run the game on a computer that has a newer video card.

Q: Hey, I think I found a question with a wrong answer. How can I send it to you?
A: Take a picture of the screen using your phone and then email it to [email protected] together with your suggested answer.

Q: What are the minimum system requirements to run this game?
A: The Bible Game runs on a great variety of PCs. Here are the system requirements:
– Windows PC with a keyboard and mouse.
– Microsoft Windows operating system: XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 or 11.
– 100 MB of free disk space.
– 4 GB of RAM, 3D video card with 64 MB of memory, sound card.
– Display: 1024×768 pixels or higher resolution.
– DirectX 9.0c or a newer version of it. Modern versions of the operating system already include this software package. However, if your computer uses an older version of Windows (XP, etc.), or you experience any graphics-related issues, you can download DirectX 9.0c from here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35