Method and apparatus for playing an educational board game

Abstract

A method and apparatus for playing an educational game. The method and apparatus includes a method for playing an educational game which teaches players about the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated SARS-CoV-2 virus. The method and apparatus also includes a game board, a plurality of game pieces, and a plurality of cards each containing information pertaining to actions, events, or education information related to the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated SARS-CoV-2 virus.

1 . A method of playing an educational game with a plurality of players, the method comprising the steps of:
 (a) providing a game board having a plurality of player location markers placed so as to define a game path, each of the plurality of player location markers comprising a graphical outline, a number, and an indicia indicating a given marker to be a Hospital space, a Quarantine space, a player action space, a card draw space, or an unlabeled space, and having a home location marker at the beginning of the path and a survival location marker at the end of the path;   (b) providing a plurality of player game pieces;   (c) providing a plurality of cards, each card having instructions either requiring one or more players to perform at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) or allowing one player to keep such card until a condition is met allowing the player to play such card;   (d) providing a means of generating a random number;   (e) having each of the plurality of players select one player game piece;   (f) placing each selected player game piece, by the player that selected said piece, on the home location marker, and determining an order of play;   (g) having a player, in turn of the order of play, use the means of generating a random number to generate a random number, having the player-in-turn determine whether the player is holding one of the cards for which conditions have been met allowing the player-in-turn to play the card, and allowing the player-in-turn to follow the instructions on the card and then discard such card if such conditions have been met;   (h) having the player-in-turn move the corresponding player game piece selected in step (f), sequentially along the game path, the number of player location markers equal to the random number generated in step (g);   (i) having the player-in-turn examine the indicia on the player location marker the player game piece is moved to in step (h) and determining whether the player location marker moved to in step (h) is one of the Hospital spaces, the Quarantine spaces, the player action spaces, the card draw spaces, or the unlabeled spaces;   (j) having the player-in-turn perform no further action if it is determined in step (i) that the player game piece is located on one of the unlabeled spaces;   (k) having the player-in-turn draw one card if it is determined in step (i) that the player game piece is located on one of the card draw spaces and having at least one player perform at least one action and discard the drawn card provided that the instructions printed on such drawn card require such action;   (l) having the player-in-turn perform no further action or having at least one player perform at least one action if it is determined in step (i) that the player game piece is located on one of the Hospital spaces, one of the Quarantine spaces, or one of the player action spaces; and   (m) repeating steps (g)-(l) for each player in the order of play until one of the plurality of players moves the corresponding player game piece selected by the player in step (e) onto the survival location marker.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the graphical outline is an image of a virus. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein the image of a virus is an image of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the player location markers further comprises text containing educational information associated with COVID-19. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the order of play is determined by having each of the plurality of players use the means of generating a random number to generate a number and determining the order of play based on descending order of the numbers generated by the plurality of players from highest number to lowest number. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein each of the player action spaces further comprise instructions requiring one or more players to perform at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (g) is preceded by an additional step requiring the player-in-turn to determine whether the player game piece selected by the player in step (e) is located on the home location marker, and if the player game piece is located on the home location marker, requiring the player-in-turn to use the means of generating a random number to generate a first number, where if such first generated number does not correspond to a specific value, the player-in-turn skips remaining steps (g)-(l) and instead performs no action. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (g) is preceded by an additional step requiring the player-in-turn to determine whether the player game piece selected by the player in step (e) is located on the home location marker, and if the player game piece is located on the home location marker, requiring the player-in-turn to perform at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19 before performing step (g). 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (g) is preceded by an additional step requiring the player-in-turn to determine whether the player game piece selected by the player in step (e) is located on a Hospital space, and if the player game piece is located on a Hospital space, requiring the player-in-turn to use the means of generating a random number to generate a first number, where if such first generated number does not correspond to a specific value, the player-in-turn skips remaining steps (g)-(l) and instead performs no action. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (g) is preceded by an additional step requiring the player-in-turn to determine whether the player game piece selected by the player in step (e) is located on a Hospital space, and if the player game piece is located on a Hospital space, requiring the player-in-turn to perform at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19 before performing step (g). 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (g) is preceded by an additional step requiring the player-in-turn to determine whether the player game piece selected by the player in step (e) is located on a Quarantine space, and the player game piece is located on a Quarantine space, requiring the player-in-turn to use the means of generating a random number to generate a first number, where if such first generated number does not correspond to a specific value, the player-in-turn skips remaining steps (g)-(l) and instead performs no action. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein step (g) is preceded by an additional step requiring the player-in-turn to determine whether the player game piece selected by the player in step (e) is located on a Quarantine space, and if the player game piece is located on a Quarantine space, requiring the player-in-turn to perform at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19 before performing step (g). 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19 comprises actions involving manipulation of the game board and pieces and actions demonstrating healthy COVID-19 behavior. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19 include actions scientifically shown to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the means of generating a random number is a die. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the means of generating a random number is a pseudo-random number generator. 
     
     
         17 . An educational board game comprising:
 a game board having a plurality of player location markers placed so as to define a game path, each of the plurality of player location markers comprising a graphical outline, a number, and an indicia indicating a given marker to be a Hospital space, a Quarantine space, a player action space, a card draw space, or an unlabeled space, and having a home location marker at the beginning of the path and a survival location marker at the end of the path;   a plurality of player game pieces;   a plurality of cards each having instructions either requiring one or more players to perform at least one action related to actions, events, or educational information associated with COVID-19 or allowing one player to keep such card until a condition is met allowing the player to play such card; and   a means of generating a random number.   
     
     
         18 . The board game of  claim 17 , wherein the graphical outline is an image of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 
     
     
         19 . The board game of  claim 17 , wherein each of the player location markers further comprises text containing educational information associated with COVID-19. 
     
     
         20 . The board game of  claim 17 , wherein the means of generating a random number is a die.