Inventor focuses game on re-living a cycling race - #lakewoodnews

Growing up in Indiana, Alex Bishop always dreamed of designing fun and exciting board games. So he and his childhood friends would create them and play them among themselves.

But he's also always had a passion for anything with two wheels, he said.

And now, Bishop, 31, has made a dream come true with Glory Gears --; a board game he created to share the experience and thrill of bicycle racing.

"The most exciting thing is seeing it come to life," Bishop said. "This game is much more than a board game --; it's the experience of being able to re-live the race."

The game is based off Indiana University's annual Little 500 bicycling race --; one that Bishop won in 2007 during his racing days as a student at the university. He has amazing memories and life-changing experiences he hopes to be able to share with others through the game, he said.

"This event has forever changed the lives of so many that it inspired me to create a way for others to learn about, and enjoy, it," Bishop said. "My goal behind this endeavor was to capture the thrill and excitement of this great event in an accurate, fast paced, strategic game that can be enjoyed by all --; cycling fan or not."

A game of Glory Gears lasts anywhere between about 30 minutes to three hours. Game time varies, Bishop said, because it has been designed to be played as players desire --; simply, or with a lot of strategy.

"It's very true to real bike race," he said. "Just like in a real race, if you make one mistake, your race is pretty much over."

A player moves by cards in hand rather than rolling a dice. The game is best played in a group of four to eight, but can be played with only two players. It is meant for players age 8 years and older.

It took Bishop about four years to work out all the details to get Glory Gears ready for production. It is trademarked and market-ready, he said. However, to offset some costs, a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign launched on Nov. 15. The goal is $10,000 in 30 days, which would provide initial support for pre-orders of the game. Bishop hopes to be able to eventually get Glory Gears available in game stores and bike shops across the U.S.

As soon as Bishop told his friend Peter Darragh, 19, about Glory Gears, they set up a game night comprised of a small group of avid cyclists.

"There's so much versatility to it," Darragh said, who has been an avid cyclist for about 10 years. "It's like a new game every time you play it."

But a person does not have to be a cyclist to understand or enjoy the game, Darragh said. Players will get a little insight into the cycling culture, and what it feels like to compete in a pro cycling race, but anybody would have fun playing it, he said.

Bishop, a Wheat Ridge resident, who has been the manager for Big Ring Cycles, a bike shop in Golden, for about five years, has about a dozen other games in prototype, which he plans on eventually releasing through his company, Mind Melt Games. He selected Glory Gears as the first because of its unique appeal and specific background story of the Little 500.

"Alex is so passionate about it," Darragh said of the Little 500. "He had such a good time, and he wanted to share that with other people."

from Lakewood Sentinel - Latest Stories http://lakewoodsentinel.com/stories/Inventor-focuses-game-on-re-living-a-cycling-race,239256