Psychological game apparatus

A competitive game apparatus for two or more players that simulates human life and the psychological effects of different human experiences. The game apparatus includes a board having a plurality of alternative routes, each with a plurality of stations with reward, penalty, and chance indicia printed thereon and a plurality of favorable and unfavorable personality tokens representative of personality enrichment. The accumulation of favorable personality tokens enables the acquisition of each of the buttons required to win the game. Playing pieces are moved from station to station by the players as determined by a chance device, and the favorable and unfavorable personality tokens can be won or lost. A general route has a plurality of interconnected stations by which a player has the opportunity to accumulate all types of available personality tokens. In addition there are alternate psyche trip routes with a plurality of interconnected stations that represent endeavors such as education, business, and society, in which a player can acquire only one type of personality tokens on each route. A zapping procedure representative of aggression allows one player to impose penalties on the other players.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates generally to games and more particularly to a novel 
game apparatus specifically adapted to depict human life and the 
psychological effects of human experiences. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The background and general philosophy of the game of the present invention 
is based on the recognition that everybody wants a psychologically 
effective life. The success of a person depends to a large extent upon a 
person's ability to recognize and take advantage of opportunities. One may 
miss these opportunities or may go overboard in psychological investments, 
risk all in order to experience life to the utmost, or may be devastated 
by someone else's aggression. A person typically will invest part of his 
psychological self in order to feel good about himself. As a person makes 
wise decisions, the person feels good about himself. If that person spends 
time unwisely he will usually lose personal esteem. A person may be good 
at business or at intellectual endeavors or may achieve self-esteem from 
social acceptance. A person may seek psychological inner peace by entering 
therapy. 
The game of the present invention mirrors human experiences and offers 
choices and involves risks and rewards. Basically, the player accumulates 
personality tokens which represent enrichment of this personality. If the 
player wins he achieves psychological well-being. 
A variety of different types of game apparatus, and particularly board-type 
games in which playing pieces are moved from station to station over a 
game board, have heretofore been provided. No presently known game is 
available that specifically simulates different human experiences and 
deals specifically with the psychological effects of human experiences. 
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide 
game apparatus that simulates the experiences encountered in real life and 
the various psychological effects of different human experiences. 
Another object of the present invention is to provide a game that affords a 
high level of interest and enjoyment for the players and in addition is a 
useful educational and therapeutic tool. 
Still a further object of the present invention is to provide a 
psychological game characterized by the accumulation of buttons and 
personality tokens that represent personality enrichment. 
In acquiring the game buttons and personality tokens the players must 
choose between different routes which involve different rewards and risks. 
Success in the game, which is analogous to psychological well-being, 
depends on a player's ability to recognize and take advantage of 
opportunities and in his willingness and success in making decisions and 
taking risks. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
The apparatus of the present invention generally comprises a game board 
with a plurality of alternative routes each having a plurality of 
indicia-bearing stations, a chance device, a special playing piece for 
each player, sets of favorable and unfavorable personality tokens, sets of 
indicia-bearing chance cards, and sets of four game buttons which must be 
acquired to win the game. The stations have indicia for directing a player 
whose game piece lands on the station. Generally, the indicia denotes an 
experience and may either reward the player by awarding favorable 
personality tokens or game buttons or penalize the player by taking away 
personality tokens or by awarding unfavorable personality tokens. In 
addition, the indicia offers the player choice between different game 
strategies or instructs the player to select a chance card where there is 
further indicia involving a reward or penalty. The movement of the playing 
pieces from station to station is determined by the player's use of a 
chance device such as rolling dice. 
One course of travel or trip route along the outer peripheral edge of the 
game board represents a more general route in which the players have an 
opportunity to acquire all types of available personality tokens to 
develop an "OK" personality. In addition, there are alternate psyche 
courses of travel or trip routes located inside the outer track that are 
short cuts in getting specific personality tokens. Each of the shortcut 
psyche routes to an "OK" personality represents an endeavor such as 
business, education, society, or therapy, through which an individual 
acquires a psychologically fulfilling life. There is also a zapping 
procedure representative of aggression in which one player may impose 
penalties on the other players.

Referring now to the drawings, a peripheral route 11, herein referred to as 
the "general" route and also designated as the "road to maturity", is 
disposed along the entire outer peripheral edge of the rectangular game 
board 10 so as to be of an open, rectangular shape and includes a pair of 
opposed, spaced, parallel side portions 12 and 13 and a pair of opposed, 
spaced end portions 14 and 15. 
An inside route 21, herein designated the "party" route, is located inside 
the general route 11 opposite side portion 12 and includes an end portion 
22 which extends in at an angle to the end of side portion 12, an 
intermediate portion 23 that extends along and in spaced parallel relation 
to side portion 12, and an end portion 24 which extends back out at an 
angle to the side portion 12 to provide an alternate route to side portion 
12. 
Another inside route 31, herein designated the "stock market" route, is 
located inside the general route 11 opposite end portion 14 and includes 
an end portion 32 which extends in at an angle to the end of end portion 
14, an intermediate portion 33 that extends along and in spaced parallel 
relation to end portion 14, and an end portion 34 that extends back out at 
an angle to the end portion 14 to provide an alternate route to end 
portion 14. 
Another inside route 41, herein designated the "college" route, opposite 
side portion 13 of the general route has a shape similar to route 21 and 
provides an alternate route to side portion 13. Yet another inside route 
51, herein referred to as the "psychotherapy" route, is opposite side 
portion 15 of the general route and has a shape similar to route 31 and 
provides an alternate route to portion 15. The intermediate portions of 
these inside routes form a rectangular center portion 52. Each of the 
inside routes 21, 31, 41 and 51 and associated side and end portions form 
truncated triangular portions designated by numerals 27, 37, 47 and 57, 
respectively. 
The general route 11 is further characterized as a route in which the 
player has an opportunity to acquire all of the available personality 
tokens, while the party route 21, stock market route 31, college route 41 
and psychotherapy route 51 are further characterized as psyche trip routes 
in which the player is limited in the case of the first three to acquiring 
only one type of personality token and in the case of the latter can 
acquire all types of personality tokens. 
In general, a player may move his playing piece described hereinafter along 
the various routes in the direction indicated by the arrows. As will 
hereinafter be explained, a player determines how many stations to move 
his playing piece by a chance device. A player may elect to play on the 
outer general route 11 on which all of the game buttons and personality 
tokens described hereinafter can be acquired or on one of the inner psyche 
trip routes on which game buttons and personality tokens can be acquired. 
Party route 21 is representative of a person's social life, stock market 
route 31 is representative of business endeavors, college route 41 is 
representative of educational endeavors, and psychotherapy route 51 is 
representative of psychotherapeutic treatment. The indicia on the stations 
described hereinafter of each of the routes generally corresponds to the 
theme of the route. 
Referring now to FIGS. 2-5, each of the routes has a plurality of stations, 
each with indicia thereon which generally may either penalize or reward a 
player by awarding favorable or unfavorable personality tokens, or may 
instruct or make a decision available to a player whose playing piece 
lands on the station. In addition, the indicia generally relates an 
experience corresponding to the theme of the route that might bring about 
the reward or penalty stated and its resultant psychological effect. For 
instance, on the stations of the college route 41, some of the 
experience-related indicia corresponding to penalties are: CHEAT ON EXAMS, 
CUT