GB2198361A - Educational game - Google Patents

Abstract

A game concerned with teaching children awareness of the dangers of child molestations has an appropriately marked playing board with playing pieces and a die. Question cards and an instruction board or book concerned with human relationships permit the player or players to play the game. <IMAGE>

Description

A GAME This invention relates to games.

There is an increasing awareness of the dangers of child abuse and the necessity of educating young children to be able to anticipate and avoid or escape from possible molestation and attack. However, it is difficult to educate young children about the dangers of child abuse without the risk of causing emotional distress or embarassment and whilst it is well known that the most effective means of education of (in particular) young children is by involving them in role play by means of games and toys, there is considerable difficulty in presenting a programme of education about child abuse in the form of a game.

It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the aforesaid disadvantages.

According to the present invention there is provided a game comprising a playing board, one or more dice, one or more playing pieces or counters and a predetermined number of playing cards, all being employed substantially in accordance with the manner described in the specification as to the manner in which the game is to be played.

This invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a representation of the playing board; and Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 are representations of the printed cards and playing pieces or counters.

The pieces for playing the game comprise, preferably, a playing board 1 marked in a particular manner substantially as shown in the drawing; a pack 2 of playing cards containing questions and statements in one preferred embodiment being printed substantially as shown in the drawings and including duplicates of a predetermined number of the playing cards employed; playing pieces or counters 3 for marking the position of each of the players on the playing board 1 during the course of the game; a die 4 for casting; ana an instruction board or book containing preferably a printed key of answers to questions printed on the playing cards.

An example of such an instruction board or book is as follows: INSTRUCTION BOARD 1. A friend is someone you know and trust.

2. A stranger is someone you don't know and don't trust - don't talk to a stranger especially if you are on your own.

3. An OK touch is a touch I feel happy about like a cuddle from my mum.

4. It's alright for an OK touch to happen when I feel it's right for it to. Such as when my mum or dad gives me a hug or kiss at bedtime. Can anyone think of other times when an OK touch can happen? 5. A NO touch is something I don't like - a touch on my private parts which I don't like.

6. An OK touch makes me feel lovely and happy it's a touch that I like.

8. A NO touch feels WRONG and horrible - I don't want it to happen.

9. If someone goes to touch me in a way I don't like I can shout NO loudly - then I can GO AND TELL someone I can trust.

10. If someone touched me in a way I didn't like I could shout LOUDLY for help - I could say NO in a strong way and GO AND TELL someone I could trust. I know that it is not my fault that it happened.

12. I could shout NO as loud as possible. I could also tell someone I trusted if I was worried.

I could go on telling until somebody helped.

14. I would say thank you and take one if I wanted one.

16. Say NO and go away from the stranger quickly. I would not stand there talking. I would tell my parents also.

17. Say NO and go way quickly and tell my parents.

19. Say NO LOUDLY and GO AND TELL someone I trusted who was nearby. I would tell my parents as soon as I could.

20. I would not get too near to start with but if he grabbed me I would shout and scream for help - making as much noise as possible and struggle hard to get away.

21. I would get away from the stranger - and if there was no parent or friend around I would go back into school to tell the teacher. If a policeman or a lollipop lady was nearby I could tell them.

22. I would know my own uncle so this must be a stranger trying to trick me - I would get away fast and tell someone I trusted about him.

23. I would tell someone I could trust - such as my mum or dad, teacher - can anyone think of others they would trust.

24. I would not want to keep a secret and would choose someone I could trust like a friend or grandmother or teacher. I would KEEP on telling until somebody helped me.

26. I would not trust a stranger who told me he was giving me a lift because my mum asked him to - I would think it was a trick and I would shout NO - and RUN and TELL someone I trusted.

In use, prior to the commencement of the game, the playing cards may be placed in the form of a pack 2 face down in the centre of the playing board and the playing pieces or counters 3 each representing one player, may be placed on the square on the playing board 1 marked as the starting square of the game. In use, the instruction board or book may be placed on the ground close by or elsewhere for consultation to determine whether the answers given to questions posed on the playing cards in the course of the game are correct or to assist the players in determining the correct answer before answering the question (where the game is being employed to familiarise the players with the ideas conveyed by the questions and answers).Further questions and answers may be developed and employed in appropriate cases by filling in further blank playing cards provided (not shown), these being added to the pack of playing cards and corresponding answers (not shown) being added to the instruction board or book or in additional instruction boards or books in the blank spaces provided (for instance to deal with specific factual situations which may have arisen and which are not contemplated by any of the playing cards already provided).

In use, in one preferred embodiment of the game each of the players throw the die 4 to determine who is to take first turn at the board 1. The scorer of the highest score takes first turn. The first player places a playing piece or counter 3 on the square marked START on the playing board 1 and throws the die 4, moving the playing piece or counter 3 forward by the number of squares equal to the value of the die 4 thrown.

If the playing piece or counter 3 lands on a blank square the next player takes his or her turn in the same way and then each player alternatively takes throws until one player's playing piece lands on a square labelled NO GO TELL.

Whenever landing on a square labelled NO GO TELL, the player concerned takes a playing card from the top of the pack 2 of playing cards provided, which are placed in a pack on a predetermined spot on the playing board 1 before the commencement of the game face down.

The player concerned then gives an answer to the numbered question printed on the card selected. If the answer given broadly corresponds to the numbered answer allocated to the card selected by the key on the instruction board or book, the player advances his or her playing piece or counter 3 by the number of squares directed on the playing card. If the answer is incorrect, the turn ends. Alternatively, the card selected may be one which states that a particular event has occurred, e.g. that the player has accepted sweets from a stranger, and which either imposes a penalty of moving back the player's playing piece or counter 3 a predetermined number of squares or awards a bonus of moving forward a predetermined number of squares.

Alternatively, the card may instruct the player to perform some act, e.g. to shout very loudly NO GO TELL, and upon doing so to move the player's playing piece or counter 3 forward a predetermined number of squares.

Alternatively, the playing piece or counter 3 may land on a marked square on the playing board 1 which states that a predetermined event has occurred, e.g. that the player has saved a friend from going off with a stranger, and which instructs the player to follow a diversionary route progressing along the playing board or alternatively retreating farther back along the playing board 1 depending on the marked square in question. In such a case the player concerned must throw the die 4 again and advance the playing piece or counter 3 the corresponding number of squares along the diversionary route.

If a player throws a six when casting the die 4 he or she may throw again. If a second six is thrown in succession in the same turn by the player he or she may again throw but the turn will end if a third successive six is thrown in the same turn.

Alternatively, where a player throws a six and as a result advances his or her playing piece to a NO GO TELL square, the question must be answered and the playing piece or counter 3 advanced along the corresponding number of squares instructed but the player's turn then ends, no further throw being made despite the six thrown.

The game ends when the first player's playing piece or counter 3 reaches the finishing square or alternatively when the last player to reach the finishing square does so.

In a further embodiment of the invention where there are more than six players the players participate in the game in teams, following the same manner of play, one team member throwing the die 4 when his/her turn comes and the team attempting collectively to answer the question posed, the individual team members taking turns at being the team member given the die to throw.

The playing board 1, pack 2 of playing cards and instruction board or book may be marked so as to portray alternative practical situations such as adventures at the seaside or other domestic situtations may be employed to provide opportunities for posing and answering questions of substantially the same content as those illustrated in the embodiment described in the specification.

In addition to adopting further or alternative uses'ions and answers as described above, the consequences of correct or incorrect answers made under the rules of the game may be altered to accommodate different playing capacities or ages of the players playing the game.

Computerised versions of the game played in accordance with any of the embodiments described above may be adopted in which the playing board 1, pack 2 of playing cards, playing pieces or counters 3, die 4 and instruction board or book may be represented on a visual display screen of a computer, questions being posed randomly by the computer program under which the game is played and answers being given by the player by pressing appropriate keys on the computer terminal keyboard. In this embodiment a range of possible answers may be furnished by the program from which the player may select an appropriate response.

Claims (4)

CLAIMS:

1. A game comprising a playing board, one or more dice, one or more playing pieces or counters and a predetermined number of playing cards, all being employed substantially in accordance with the manner described in . the specification as to the manner in which the game is to be played.

2. A game as claimed in claim 1 in which a playing board, one or more dice, one or more playing pieces or counters and a predetermined number of playing cards are marked in a particular manner substantially as shown in the accompanying drawings.

3. A game as claimed in claims 1 or 2 provided with an instruction board or book for use substantially in accordance with the manner described in the specification and marked in a particular manner substantially as shown in the drawings accompanying the specification.

4. A game as claimed in claims 1, 2 or 3 in which the playing board, dice, playing pieces or counters and predetermined number of playing cards, or any of them, are represented by electronic images displayed on a display screen and employed by means of a computer program generating the images displayed.