BOB ABERNETHY, anchor: With the holiday shopping season at hand, games are often a popular gift idea for the young and old alike. But many shoppers don't realize their list could include games with a spiritual twist. Religious board games are a small -- but rapidly growing -- part of the overall games market. Kim Lawton discovered there's a game out there for almost any spiritual taste.
KIM LAWTON: It's after school, and these kids have gathered at Amy Johnson's house to play a little Bingo before they do their homework. But this is not your typical game of Bingo. It's "Bible Bingo," where players have to match the books of the Bible. These kids go to the same Christian school, and they're playing games that connect with their spiritual values.Across the nation, old-fashioned board games are as popular as ever. Distributors say religious games are a rapidly expanding part of the overall market. The Potomac Adventist Book and Health Food Store in Maryland has seen a marked increase in religious game sales over the past year, especially in variations of secular games.
LOUISE DRIVER (Potomac Adventist Book and Health Food Store): Really, since 9/11, I think people are more into games. You've got "Bible Pictionary," "Bible Charades," "Bible Trivia" -- which are all takeoffs of the same. "Bible Scattergories" -- all are takeoffs. And they've all been good.
LAWTON: Many of the most popular games test players' biblical knowledge. Amy Johnson is a big fan of games, despite some reservations.
AMY JOHNSON (Parent): Some of the games are just excellent tools for teaching, especially Bible characters and stories, and it's just a fun way to reinforce and to review those things that are just part of our family life. Some of the games, though, I think trivialize some of the Christian faiths and beliefs that you can't really put in a game. And those kind of bother me a little bit.
LAWTON: No Bible knowledge is needed for "Missionary Conquest" -- it says so right on the box. The object of "Missionary Conquest" is to establish as many missions around the world as possible, while racking up blessing points. Along the way, you try to avoid temptation and bad stewardship. If you get kicked out of a country, you lose bonus points and if you're martyred, you're out of the game, but you gain 150 blessing points.One popular game among evangelical teenagers is "Redemption." A brigade of Bible heroes races to rescue lost souls. The heroes enhance their strength with spiritual qualities in order to vanquish the forces of evil.
Evangelical Protestants have the most games by far, but other religious groups are beginning to follow suit. Syndi Kercher, a former teacher in Arizona, has developed two games to help kids learn about the Jewish holidays.
LAWTON: Syndi's holigames incorporate a sense of humor. "Exodus," for example, has a wheel of plagues to send on your opponent. But she says they have a serious message as well.
LAWTON: "Divinity" is a game about Roman Catholic teaching. You make your way around the board by answering questions about the Catholic Catechism. There are three categories, easy, moderate, and difficult. And you answer a host of questions. Questions such as "Confirmation can be received more than once, true or false?" The answer is "false."
There's a Hindu board game called "Leela," where players seek their personal cosmic consciousness. And for New Age seekers, there's "Go Goddess," a game to explore and empower inner strength. It comes complete with a "Go Goddess" scarf and matching candles.
