AIDS: the epidemic board game

• US 5,228,860 A
• Filed: 04/30/1992
• Issued: 07/20/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steven A. Hale
• Original Assignee: Steven A. Hale
• Inventors: Hale, Steven A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mancene, Gene
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomas, L.
• Application Number:
  US07/876,030
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 273/243, 273/249, 273/256, 434/128, 434/129, 434/247
• US Class Current: 434/129
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 3/0478 concerning life sciences, e.g. biology, ecology, nutrition, health, medicine, psychology
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/00 Teaching not covered by other main groups of this subclass teaching or practice apparatus for gun-aiming or gun-laying F41G3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 19/22 Games, e.g. card games

Abstract

An Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) educational device comprised primarily of a game board with a continuous path around its edge with some spaces designated "virus" spaces and others designated "Hospital", "Doctor'"'"'s Office", etc. surrounding a central "graveyard" area for removed player tokens and space for game components and a Mortality Time-line depicting the yearly mortality from AIDS. Each player is assigned four tokens and by chance movement around the board, tokens become "infected" with the AIDS virus and eventually "expire". Cards of three types provide basic facts regarding the AIDS epidemic and terminal medical events and direct activities such as effects of the epidemic on a player generated list of Family members and Friends. Simulations of an Epidemiologist and Physician treatment are provided. The game can be played to a predetermined end point or time limit or until only one player has tokens on the playing path.

Claims

1. A method of playing a game comprising:

(A) providing a game which comprises

(1) a game board which includes

(i) a playing path divided into spaces, said spaces comprising a plurality of Topic spaces, Medical Treatment spaces, unlabeled spaces, HIV virus spaces and

(ii) a central area,

(2) a plurality of sets of tokens, each set representing a team,

(3) a dice for controlling the number of squares which can be advanced during a turn,

(4) a plurality of AIDS Fact cards having facts and statistics printed thereon, associated with a basic knowledge of the subject,

(5) a plurality of Terminal Event cards having disease entities printed thereon,

(6) a plurality of Virus cards having special directions printed thereon which must be followed,

(7) a T-Cell chart which relates a value for an initial T-Cell number and a factor for the change in T-Cells to a dice roll;

(B) rolling said dice to determine the starting player;

(C) having said starting player roll the die to determine the number of spaces to advance in a counterclockwise direction from the Start space and having said starting player advance his tokens the number of spaces equivalent to the number appearing on said die;

(D) having starting player and subsequent players in turn landing on blank spaces take no action as the turn is finished;

(E) having starting player and subsequent players in turn landing on labeled Topic spaces draw and read aloud an AIDS Fact card;

(F) having said starting player'"'"'s tokens and subsequent player'"'"'s tokens, upon landing on HIV Virus spaces, become "infected" with the virus and by roll of the die, be given an initial T-Cell number from the T-Cell chart;

(G) requiring players whose tokens land on HIV Virus spaces to draw a Virus card and to follow instructions on said Virus card;

(H) requiring players whose tokens have been infected with the HIV Virus and been given an initial T-Cell number, upon each subsequent landing on HIV Virus spaces, roll the die and select the appropriate fraction from the Change-in-T-Cell column of the T-Cell chart and to apply that fraction to lower the T-Cell number of that selected token;

(I) requiring a player to remove a token from the playing path, when said token has less than a predetermined number of T-Cells;

(J) requiring a player to read a Terminal Event card upon removal of any of his tokens from the playing path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the game further includes means for designating the passage of a year of time as the completion of a round of the board by the lead player, wherein said lead player is the first to pass the Year space until such time as said lead player may be passed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the central area of the game board further includes a mortality time line printed thereon.

4. The method of claim 3, further including mortality time line markers which are placed on the mortality time line, upon completion of each round of the board, said mortality time line markers representing the actual yearly mortality from AIDS.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the game further includes prescription cards and wherein the plurality of medical treatment spaces includes a Doctor'"'"'s Office space, whereupon landing on that space, a player is awarded a prescription card for Antiviral treatment.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a player holding a prescription card for Antiviral treatment and who subsequently lands upon the medical treatment space marked Pharmacy, is allowed to apply treatment to an infected token by adding the fraction indicated by roll of the die on the change in T-Cell chart to increase that token'"'"'s T-Cell number.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the game further includes an Incidence and Mortality game pad for recording epidemic results.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the appropriate Incidence and Mortality pad is marked with the number of infected and removed player tokens as each round of the board is completed.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the game further includes a lined game pad marked with the heading Family/Relatives, Friends/Acquaintances, and Famous People on which a player generates a list of persons.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein names are crossed off the Family/Relatives, Friend/Acquaintances, and Famous People list of each player according to directions on Virus Cards.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the game further includes a game pad marked Physician'"'"'s T-Cell Record for recording the T-Cell number of each player token.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the current T-Cell number of each player'"'"'s token is marked on the Physician'"'"'s T-Cell Record, as said player'"'"'s token is assigned an initial T-Cell number from the T-Cell Chart and as subsequent changes in T-Cell number for that token are applied.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the game board central area further includes an area for removed player tokens.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the area for removed player tokens is marked Graveyard.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the game winner is that player with the most tokens remaining on the playing path and having the highest T-Cell number, and meeting one of the following end of the game conditions:

a. only one player has tokens on the playing path;

b. completion of a predetermined number of rounds of the board;

c. a predetermined time limit is reached.