One or more embodiments of the disclosed technology relate(s) generally to video games and/or board games, and more specifically but not exclusively to a combined board game and video game based on chemistry.
Games may be useful for entertaining people. They may also useful as teaching tools for teaching people difficult or daunting subjects without them necessarily realizing that they are being taught.
There are different types of games such as board games, card games, video games, etc. A popular type of game involves multiple characters fighting against one another, either in teams or individually. Such games may employ statistic cards, dice throws, spinners, random number generators and/or a combination of these to determine the likelihood and/or outcome of a battle. Often, after playing these types of games, the players tend to remember the statistics for the different characters.
Chemistry is a subject matter which involves memorization. However, many people find chemistry to be a daunting subject.
It would thus be advantageous to provide a game that assists in teaching chemistry in an enjoyable way.
Many advantages will be determined and are attained by one or more embodiments of the disclosed technology, which in a broad sense provides a combination board game and video game based around chemistry, in which players engage in character combats and learn about elements as the game progresses.
In one or more embodiments, the technology provides a combined analog and digital chemistry based game. The game includes character cards that provide attributes of a character. The character represents an element from the periodic table. At least two The analog portion of the game includes character pieces respectively associated with at least two of the character cards. The game also includes a card reader that determines the attributes of a character from a character card and applies the determined attributes to a graphical representation of the character. The game also includes a game board such that the character pieces are supported by the game board during play. The game also includes a processor based graphical interface that, in response to receiving the attributes of characters from the card reader, portrays an interaction between the two characters. The portrayed interaction represents an interaction between at least two character pieces.
In one or more embodiments, the technology provides a method for teaching chemistry. The method includes providing characters which include attributes. At least two of the characters respectively include attributes which coincide with attributes of at least two elements from a periodic table. The method also includes providing a physical gaming area for an interaction between the at least two characters. The method further includes providing an electronic gaming area for another interaction between the at least two characters. The method also includes synchronizing the interaction and another interaction such that a result of the interaction and a result of the other interaction is the same result.
In one or more embodiments, the technology provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to read character attributes from character attribute cards. Each of the character attribute cards is respectively associated with a separate character. The computing device is also caused to display, on a display, an interaction between images which represent at least two of the associated characters. The interaction is synchronized with a physical game which operates with the character attribute cards.
The technology will next be described in connection with certain illustrated embodiments and practices. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions and subtractions can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims.
For a better understanding of the technology, reference is made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to like parts throughout, and in which:
The technology will next be described in connection with certain illustrated embodiments and practices. However, it will be clear to those skilled in the art that various modifications, additions, and subtractions can be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the claims.
Referring to the figures in detail, there are illustrated in
Discussion of an embodiment, one or more embodiments, an aspect, one or more aspects, a feature, one or more features, or a configuration or one or more configurations is intended to be inclusive of both the singular and the plural depending upon which provides the broadest scope without running afoul of the existing art and any such statement is in no way intended to be limiting in nature. Technology described in relation to one or more of these terms is not necessarily limited to use in that particular embodiment, aspect, feature or configuration and may be employed with other embodiments, aspects, features and/or configurations where appropriate. Additionally, the use of the singular and the use of the plural regarding an element description is intended to be inclusive of both the singular and the plural depending upon which provides the broadest scope without running afoul of the existing art.
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The cards 140 may be “chipped” 145 or otherwise encoded and, as illustrated in
During analog play, a player may move around a board 120 and collect or lose abilities, electrons or interact with other characters or situations. Movement may be dictated by rolling one or more dice, spinning a spinner, selecting a card which instructs the player and/or having a random number generated. Alternatively, or additionally, players may arrange their cards 140 for a battle with another player or with a game character. There may be group battles, individual battles, individuals against a group and a group against an individual, and the game may be played in various modes (e.g. practice mode, against a computer character, against other players and/or with other players). In practice mode, the player may attack another player or a computer character but the results of the attack do not last (either the results do not attach at all or they are nullified once practice mode ended).
Initial playable characters may represent elements on the periodic table, while guest characters/non-elements related to chemistry may be introduced over time, including such things as molecules and viruses. Additionally, there may be only certain elements of the periodic table that may be initially playable. One or more elements/molecules/viruses may require a certain amount of play time and/or a certain level of experience to be achieved before it may be played. A character's turn may take inspiration from the properties of the element which it represents. This may include the movement of the character directly referencing one of the properties, and/or it may be turning those properties into the basis for the entire turn. For example, while a heavy metal such as lead may have high attributes for power or force of blows, it may have lower attributes for speed and agility. Thus, an attack and defense by lead may be powerful, but it may only be able to move short distances (e.g. it may only move a percentage of the number on the spinner or dice or it may use fewer dice for its movement turn and more dice for its attack or defense, or it may receive a respective preset addition or subtraction to an action). Additionally, the distance at which an element may attack (e.g. 1 square away, 2 squares away, in one of multiple directions, in multiple directions simultaneously, etc.) may be dependent upon its attributes.
In one or more embodiments, at the start of a game, a player may select between several different characters/elements and/or may select an isotope or an isomer. The properties and attacks of each character may be reflective of their respective element's/isotope's or compound's/isomer's properties. For guest or advanced characters such as compounds, these may include isomers or other chemistry-based characteristics. In battle, characters may be allowed to use powers related to the selected isotope/isomer. This feature may be always available or it may be metered (e.g. it may require a certain number of turns and/or a specific set of actions and/or a specific set of items before it becomes available and it may only be available for a limited number of turns and/or for a limited amount of time). A special power corresponding to a selected isotope/isomer may have limited availability and may be depleted after it has been used for the allotted time or number of turns. Activating this special isotope/isomer-related power may be performed in the video game platform by holding a specified button down, or each push of the button may toggle the power on and off, or it may require a specific combination of buttons.
During a battle, ions may also be employed to add/and or remove character traits and/or abilities. For example, striking an opponent with a specified power or ability might transfer electrons from one to the other or remove them from the opponent. If a particular ion-element matchup would cause instability, the affected character may become more powerful, but harder to control. If the matchup would make the element more stable, the affected character may become easier to control but weaker. Many similar interactions may take place without departing from a scope of one or more of the below claims.
As illustrated in the attached
Having thus described one or more preferred embodiments of the technology, advantages can be appreciated. Variations from the described embodiments exist without departing from the scope of the technology. Thus it is seen that chemistry game systems and methods are provided. Although embodiments have been disclosed herein in detail, this has been done for purposes of illustration only, and is not intended to be limiting with respect to the scope of the claims, which follow. In particular, it is contemplated that various substitutions, alterations, and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the technology as defined by the claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are considered within the scope of the following claims. The claims presented are representative of the technology disclosed herein. Other, unclaimed technology is also contemplated. The right to pursue such technology in later claims is hereby reserved.
Insofar as embodiments of the technology described above are implemented, at least in part, using a computer system, it will be appreciated that a computer program for implementing at least part of the described methods and/or the described systems is envisaged as an aspect of the technology. The computer system may be any suitable apparatus, system or device, electronic, optical, or a combination thereof. For example, the computer system may be a programmable data processing apparatus, a computer, a Digital Signal Processor, an optical computer or a microprocessor. The computer program may be embodied as source code and undergo compilation for implementation on a computer, or may be embodied as object code, for example. The computer system may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium including one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to perform specified operations/functions.
It is also conceivable that some or all of the functionality ascribed to the computer program or computer system aforementioned may be implemented in hardware, for example by one or more application specific integrated circuits and/or optical elements. Suitably, the computer program can be stored on a carrier medium in computer usable form, which is also envisaged as an aspect of the technology. For example, the carrier medium may be solid-state memory, optical or magneto-optical memory such as a readable and/or writable disk for example a compact disk (CD) or a digital versatile disk (DVD), or magnetic memory such as disk or tape, and the computer system can utilize the program to configure it for operation. The computer program may also be supplied from a remote source embodied in a carrier medium such as an electronic signal, including a radio frequency carrier wave or an optical carrier wave.
It is accordingly intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative rather than in a limiting sense. It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the technology as described herein, and all statements of the scope of the technology which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.
Having described the technology, what is claimed as new and secured by Letters Patent is:
This application claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/535,550, titled “Chemistry Based Board/Video Game,” which was filed in the USPTO on Jul. 21, 2017 (the “Provisional”) and which includes the same inventors. The Provisional is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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62535550 | Jul 2017 | US |