In many bingo games that use the traditional number grid (see Free Blank Printable Bingo Card), the call out will be a number drawn from a lucky hat or other randomized lottery-type picker. How you get to hit these squares will depend on the call out.
The instructions for any bingo game will cover this basic ground rule: You have to hit (or mark) a number of squares in a row. Rules and procedures and themes will vary in different places, but certain ground rules will not. Bingo is a popular game, and as with all popular games, it has spurred a variety of ways to play it.