PUBLIC SPIRITED BOARD GAME

Abstract

A game comprising: a board, game pieces, money, game cards, assets, charitable objects, dice and rules, the game so constructed and arranged that acquisition of the assets must be balanced by contribution to a community in order to win the game.

Description

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of strategic board games.

2. Background Art

Board games pertaining to commerce have a long history. Typically, most board games that are commercial in spirit are based upon the notion that the winner of the game is the player who acquires the greatest amount of assets compared to other players in the game.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

General problems with background art:

Central to the inventor's discovery is the recognition of the problem that many commercially related games fail to appreciate the importance of public-spirited philanthropy, particularly when used to train people in the study of commerce. Further, financial crises have also demonstrated, in a more general sense, the need for corporations to act not only legally, but also ethically and responsibly in the execution of their duties. In particular, a failure by corporations to ‘give back’ some of their acquired wealth to the community and in contrast to engage in exclusive control of assets can lead to destruction of a consumer population as wealth is eventually depleted from the consumer population. In particular, a reduction in the number of persons who can actually participate meaningfully in trade and commerce and in particular a reduction in the number of persons who can buy products from a company as a result of a company ‘cornering’ the market (having gained exclusive market control) is not only destructive to the consumers but in the long term to the company (this fact is mirrored not only in artificial games but also in actual real world trade and commerce). Accordingly, games that seek to focus exclusively upon an asset acquisition model can engender a form of behaviour that can, in a worst-case scenario, be socially destructive in the long term (leading to a destruction of a consumer base, which could otherwise acquire products from a company). Generally, in both games and in real world commerce it is necessary for all participants in commerce (real or artificial) to be able to participate, not only for the survival of the consumers themselves but also for the survival of the commercial system as a whole.

Specific problems with background art including:

In the context of board games it has been realized by the inventor that if a game is exclusively based upon maximizing asset acquisition then several destructive effects occur (i) the game is usually over when one player gains various prize assets (ii) games focused exclusively upon asset acquisition instead of a balance between asset acquisition and community contribution can engender a socially destructive mindset based upon greed and selfishness (iii) games focused exclusively upon asset acquisition lack a ‘balancing’ factor—the need for asset acquisition by a corporation to be balanced by community contribution.

Technical Problem

To ameliorate some of the effects of the general problems and the specific problems as recited above and in particular to provide, at least in part, games in which persons are rewarded not only for asset acquisition but also for community participation.

Technical Solution

Providing a game that gives each player an equal chance of winning the game provided that the player balances asset acquisition with community focused philanthropy (helping others as opposed to merely helping oneself).

Advantageous Effects

Advantageous effects include:

encouraging community spirit in persons of all ages;

engendering a realization in players that a pure focus upon asset acquisition as opposed to balancing asset acquisition with community contribution is socially destructive to all participants in a community and in the context of a board game would lead to rapid termination of the game often with residual feelings of animosity towards successful players;

providing a player with a positive emotional reward based upon their involvement in public spirited activities and in particular by encouraging people to not only be financially successful in their lives but to give serious consideration as to how they can assist the wider community.

In a first aspect of invention, a game is provided in which each player has a chance to win the game by helping another person, by using an asset acquired while playing the game.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 discloses a preferred mode of invention in general form.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Definitions and Terms

The description in the body of the specification pertains to ‘preferred’ modes of invention. Accordingly, features recited in the body should not be construed to be essential features of the invention unless explicitly indicated. Further, any reference in the body to the expression ‘invention’ should be construed to imply a reference to preferred embodiments only.

FIG. 1 discloses a preferred mode of invention as depicted by the game 10. A board 12 can have locations 14 printed on the board 12. The game comprises playing pieces 16. In a preferred mode the pieces 16 can take the form of industrial machinery to emphasize the commercial side of the game 10. The game 10 can further comprise money 18 (typically virtual\play money) and game cards (instructions for play) 20. The game cards 20 can contain instructions for players on where to move the game pieces; whether or not a player has lost or acquired money 18 depending upon whether or not the player's actions are deemed socially responsible and also in another embodiment, instructions that could advise a player that he\she is to miss a turn in order to perform a public spirited act that could include assisting farmers who have been a victim of a flood.

In addition to the game cards 20, asset cards 22 are also provided. The asset cards 22 are certificates of ownership of assets acquired while successfully competing in the game (shareholder certificates in one embodiment). However, as previously recited, the acquisition of assets is not the only aim of the game, if a person is to succeed (win the game). Asset acquisition must be balanced by community contribution. Accordingly, in order to win the game a player must acquire items, here represented by charitable object 24 as an indicator of philanthropic contribution to the community. There is also a relationship between asset cards 22 (for defining an asset) and charitable objects 24 (the latter indicative of a willingness of a corporation to ‘give back’ (make a contribution to the community as a whole)). The relationship between the asset cards 22 (being in one embodiment a shareholder certificate) and the charitable objects 24 (which can in one embodiment include a ring) is that a person cannot win the game until the person has acquired a sufficient number of charitable objects 24. However, just as a company cannot help the poor without the company itself having assets to assist the poor, similarly, a player cannot donate money back to the community (as evidenced by a charitable objects 24) until such time as the player has acquired an asset card 22 (indicative of ownership of an asset, that in one embodiment can include a shareholder certificate).

In a broad mode of invention, a player will upon throwing at least one dice 26 move a playing piece 16 around the board 12 from one location 14 to another location 14. The player, assuming the player to have sufficient funds, can purchase assets 22 and also make donations to the community, indicated by a player purchasing a charitable object 24 (the object 24 being indicative of the players commitment to philanthropy). If the player was hypothetically to engage in a purely selfish activity of asset acquisition ‘only’, with no thought given to philanthropy, then the player would be guaranteed to fail (lose the game) because the player would never obtain a predetermined number of charitable objects 24 necessary to win the game. It is this delicate balance between (a) the need to acquire assets before having a capacity, according to the rules of the game, to make charitable donations and (b) the requirement to assist others as evidenced by the acquisition of charitable objects 24 in order to win the game—that is central to the philosophy of the game.

Further to the above, in order to balance out the likelihood of all persons winning in the game, the game cards 20 contain an element of uncertainty in which a player can either be rewarded or penalized depending respectively upon their philanthropic deeds (or the lack thereof). The game cards 20 can also adversely impact upon a player as a result of circumstances beyond a player's control, as in the case of a card 20 referring to a disaster including a bushfire. Conversely, the cards 20 can also positively impact upon a player by rewarding a player, in one embodiment, for participation in cancer research.

Generally speaking, it can be said that the need to balance asset acquisition with charitable contributions defines a true winner, both in the game at hand and also in real life. For as recited above, the game is intended not only to encourage financial independence for persons of all ages, but also to encourage people to act ethically and responsibly throughout their lives and particularly in their business lives.

Broadly, it can also be said that it is an object of the game to encourage players both in the game and in real life to assist less fortunate persons in the community.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

In use, one broad embodiment of the present invention comprises a strategy board game involving 2 identical card sets of 13 industry groups. Full player participation is required with sufficient board game funds available to meet all playing requirements. Plastic rings can represent a charitable object 24. Further, just as rings can be purchased, stands can also be purchased (the stands having connotations in the community of a company having acquired a reputation for philanthropy). Game cards 20 reimburse or penalise players for topical, social reasons.

The game is available for use by any person aged over around 8 years of age with basic language, literacy and computational skills. The benefits available can include opportunities for social interaction, strategic planning, computation, comprehension of written material, attention to detail and opportunities to understand some of the concepts of fair play.

In one embodiment, the aim is to be able to have 2-6 players engage in a board game for approximately an hour without necessarily requiring electronic equipment and\or the early retirement of some players due to lack of game funds or other strategic or physical reasons. Although the game can be played without using electronics in one embodiment, the game can also be implemented using at least one of the following: (i) software (ii) firmware (iii) electronic apparatus and also by way of play at a distance using electronic forms of communication including Internet connections.

In one embodiment, the game can include:

sufficient game funds to meet all game liabilities;

2 starting points;

built in game cards which reimburse or penalise players for certain transactions (philanthropic acts or lack thereof);

double sets of industry cards resulting in competition and a check on ownership;

opportunities for community reimbursement options.

In one preferred embodiment, the game can also include:

the ability for a player to be able to access any unsold card at certain points in the game;

a plurality of all industry (shareholder certificate) asset cards;

the ability for a player to sell an industry card (asset card) and ring (charitable object) for the card's original sale price in the event of a funds shortage so that losses to players are limited.

Claims

1. A game comprising: a board, game pieces, money, game cards, assets, charitable objects, dice and rules.

2. The game as recited in claim 1 played in such a way that in order to win the game a player must acquire at least one of the charitable objects.

3. The game as recited in claim 2 in which the money is sufficient to play the game with full player participation according to the rules.

4. The game as recited in claim 3 in which there are at least two sets of the game cards and two starting positions on the board for the game pieces.

5. The game as recited in claim 4 in which the game is so constructed and arranged in order to prevent exclusive control of the assets by any player.

6. The game as recited in claim 5 in which the game pieces can take the form of industrial machinery.

7. The game as recited in claim 6 in which the assets can take the form of shareholder certificates.

8. The game as recited in claim 7 in which the charitable objects can take the form of objects selected from a group consisting of rings and stands.

9. The game as recited in claim 8 in which the game cards can include instructions selected from a group consisting of instructions that penalize a player and instructions that reward a player.

10. The game as recited in claim 9 in which the game rules permit a player to sell an item selected from a group consisting of the charitable objects and the assets so as to obtain a sufficient amount of the money to continue to participate in the game.