JUNIOR HIGH GAME: EPIC LOOT BATTLE
Fortnite is a HUGE deal right now in the lives of teenagers.
According to USA Today, Fortnite has drawn in 125 million players worldwide who spend an average of six to 10 hours per week on the game.
The website DMR reported that 35% of students have even skipped classes to play Fortnite.
So, we’ve created this awesome game to give you the opportunity to start a conversation with your students about one of the themes of the game – greed.
Fortnite is based around the idea of “looting” – by opening chests, tearing down buildings, finding air drops, and more.
If you are successful and have everything you need to play a game successfully, you still always want more.
The Bible teaches something that is quite the opposite of this way of thinking.
Use this game and follow-up lesson to help students realize that life is not measured by what you own.
– Nick Diliberto, Junior High Ministry
JUNIOR HIGH GAME: EPIC LOOT BATTLE
Bible: Luke 12:15, 21 (NLT)
Bottom Line: Life is not measured by what you own.
SUPPLIES
- 2, 50-count packs of brown paper bags
- 100-count pack of index cards (any size)
- Sharpie
- Stapler and staples
- Masking tape
- Stopwatch
GAME PREP
Before the students arrive, use the Sharpie to write each of the following words on the number of index cards listed by the word:
- Bush (5 index cards)
- Clinger (5 index cards)
- Launch Pad (5 index cards)
- Port-a-Fort (5 index cards)
- Campfire (10 index cards)
- Boogie Bomb (10 index cards)
- Chug Jug (15 index cards)
- Damage Trap (15 index cards)
- Grenade (15 index cards)
- Stink Bomb (15 index cards)
Now, mix all 100 index cards together and place one card inside of each of the 100 brown paper bags.
Staple the bags closed – don’t make it too easy for the students to open the bags.
Use the masking tape to create a line down the center of the room.
Divide students into two teams of equal size.
Place one team on each side of the room.
Scatter 50 bags on each team’s side of the room.
Have a leader on hand to keep track of time on the stopwatch.
HOW TO PLAY THE GAME
Say: Raise your hand if you absolutely love playing Fortnite.
I’m not sure we’ve got a “Ninja” in here, but my guess is some of you are pretty good at playing the game.
We’re about to play our own version of a 50 v. 50 game called, “Epic Loot Battle.”
It helps if you have a little bit of Fortnite knowledge, but even if you don’t, you will still enjoy playing the game.
For this game, we aren’t using any guns – really… we aren’t.
But, you will still have the opportunity to get a ton of loot from the brown paper bags that are scattered all over our room.
This game is all about strategy and it’s played in two parts.
When I say “go,” you will race to the other team’s side of the room to loot.
I’m going to give you 1 1/2 minutes (before the storm closes in) to open as many bags as you can.
When you open a bag, you will take out the index card and look at it.
You will see the name of an item: Bush, Clinger, Launch Pad, Port-a-Fort, Campfire, Boogie Bomb, Chug Jug, Damage Trap, Grenade, or Stink Bomb.
Some of the items are healing or neutral items, and some of them are damaging.
You will have to make a quick decision – do you want to keep the card or drop it?
For our game, you are only allowed to keep two cards – after that, all of your slots are full.
If you have time remaining, and you have already opened all of your team’s bags, you can look at the loot your teammates have dropped and decide if you want to switch anything out.
Once time is up, we will begin the second part of the game.
You now have two cards in your hand.
When I say “battle,” you will choose someone on the opposing team’s side that you will stand in front of to challenge them.
When I say “challenge,” each of you will display one of your cards.
If one of you displays a “damage card” (clinger, damage trap, stink bomb, or grenade) then the other person will have needed to display a healing card (chug jug or campfire) in order to keep their card. Otherwise, they will have to drop their card on the ground and play the next round with only one card.
If both of you display a damage card, each of you has to drop the card you displayed on the ground – now you only have one card left.
If both of you display a healing or neutral card, each of you gets to keep your cards.
If one of you displays a boogie bomb, the other person will have to dance.
While they are dancing, if you have another card that’s a damage card, then you can display it, and they will have to drop their cards and they will be out of the game.
If you don’t have a damage card, then the person just has to dance for no reason – because that’s funny.
Then, the game will continue – I will say “battle” and you will choose someone else to challenge.
After three rounds, if you still have cards in your hand, I will give you 30 seconds to loot again.
You will get to choose two new cards off of the ground to begin with, in the next set of three rounds.
At this point, you will also have the opportunity to “heal someone” by giving one of your cards to someone who is out of the game.
If you choose to give up one of your cards, then you will play the next three rounds with only one card.
The game will be over when only two people are left in the game and someone wins.
TEACH
Say: Wow! That was really crazy to watch.
I was impressed by how many of you decided to heal someone who had been knocked out of the game.
You really demonstrated that you cared more about each other than you did about winning the game.
The truth is, in real life, it doesn’t matter how much “loot” you collect.
Have you ever thought about that?
Life is not measured by what you own.
Let’s see what the Bible has to say about what’s important and what should focus our lives on.
Read Luke 12:15, 21.
Then he said, “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.”
“Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
These two verses are part of a story Jesus told His disciples about a wealthy man.
This man had focused his life on acquiring more and more wealth.
The Scripture says that he was looking forward to the day when he could sit back, look at all he had, take it easy, and just “eat, drink, and be merry.”
As the story continues, God tells the man, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’
It’s a great comparison to Fortnite – you loot, build, and defend yourself, but when you die, none of those things matter.
Our lives are not measured by how much we own.
This scripture is a reminder that someone can gain wealth or create a wonderful life, but if they neglect their relationship with God, in the end, they have nothing.
When you’re playing Fortnite and someone shares their loot with you, isn’t that the best feeling?
Especially if it’s something you really needed!
In your daily life, you have the opportunity to share what you have with everyone around you – love, joy, and peace that only God can give.
I want to encourage you to give all of your loot away – not your “stuff,” but the things that are eternal.
In the end, your relationship with God and how you lived for Him are the only things that will last.
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