Patent Publication Number: US-11654348-B2

Title: Board game relating to the Covid-19 pandemic

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to board games and more particularly to a board game germane to the Covid-19 pandemic in that the board layout/design and the steps experienced in playing the game teaches about the Covid-19 pandemic and social responsibility during the pandemic. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Board games have existed for many millennia. For example, the royal game of Ur, which bears some resemblance to Backgammon, originated in ancient Mesopotamia around 3000 BC and continues to be played today. Other board games, which have been popular, including Parchessi, developed from an earlier version of the game from India, checkers and chess of course and Risk, developed in the 20 th  century. 
     Around 1903, Elizabeth Magie developed the Landlord&#39;s Game (U.S. Pat. No. 748,626), which bore many characteristics of a game called Zohn Ahl, played by the Kiowa Native American tribe. The Landlord&#39;s Game was intended to incorporate certain teaching feature including the effect of land ownership and the charging of rent on the population. Numerous other games include teaching rudiments. The game of Risk, for instance, supports, in a fun way, learning about geography and Trivial Pursuit imparts knowledge about many subjects. 
     The game Monopoly may have heavily borrowed from the Landlord&#39;s Game and Zohn Ahl and is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 2,026,082 (Darrow), which teaches a game board comprising twenty-two streets or areas of Atlantic City, N.J., USA. The game also includes “Chance” and “Community Chest” cards which impart some financial or other penalty or benefit. The Monopoly game allows players to move to different real estate locations which they may purchase. 
     Neither the Darrow nor the Magie patents however teach a game board comprising 24 (or any number of) geographical locations or places in colored groupings of threes, wherein the geographical locations or places have some significance to the novel coronavirus 2019-2020 pandemic. Further, neither teaches the game board including four tax or penalty spaces which address examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic, including (1) rent money lost by a person who returned to live with parents, (2) loss of insurance coverage over a telemedicine visit, (3) loss from use of ineffective immunity test kits and (4) loss of a bed and breakfast deposit. Further, neither reference teaches the game board having the four corner spaces including a Begin Journey space, Go into ICU Quarantine space, In Quarantine/Only Visiting space and an Obtain Stimulus Funds space or “Mask” and “Ventilator” cards having educational and amusing aspects. 
     The Plague, a game created in 2012, allows users to destroy the world with a novel pathogen and, in a newer version, players may save the world from a virus. The Plague however does not teach a board game with Mask cards, Ventilator cards or tax or penalty cards, including examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic. It also does not teach a board game with 40 spaces comprising 24 geographical locations or places in colored groupings of threes, wherein the geographical locations or places have some significance to the novel coronavirus 2019-2020 pandemic, wherein other spaces include four world leading hospitals, a Mobile Testing Unit and a Telemedicine Call Center in India. 
     Pandemic is a known game board game in which players treat infections around the world while gathering resources for cures. Pandemic however does not teach a board game with Mask cards, Ventilator cards or tax or penalty cards, including examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic or a board game with 40 spaces comprising 24 geographical locations or places in colored groupings of threes, wherein the geographical locations or place having some significance in the novel coronavirus 2019-2020 pandemic or other spaces including four world leading hospitals, a Mobile Testing Unit and a Telemedicine Call Center in India. 
     In December, 2019, an infectious disease caused by the Covid-19 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) (SARS-CoV-2) virus was first discovered in China. On Jan. 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a Public Health Emergency and a pandemic on Mar. 11, 2020. Within weeks after its discovery, the virus spread and caused massive illness throughout the world population, leading to hundreds of thousands of deaths. To combat the spread, countries undertook various measures, including cleanliness vigilance (hand washing, sanitization, etc. . . . ), imposition of social distancing measures, closing of businesses, schools, etc. . . . requiring use of masks to prevent transfer of the virus through air droplets, etc. . . . 
     Daily lives have been greatly altered by the pandemic. People have become more self-sufficient and have been guided by leaders of respective countries through the difficult times. It has become apparent that the more that people know about the pandemic, how the virus is spread, what is good social behavior, etc. . . . the more lives that will be saved. During the pandemic, families and groups of people remained more at home. The home has become the office, the school, the gym, etc. . . . . More activities have become necessary to occupy time together. It would be advantageous if such activities included an educational component, particularly as relating to the pandemic. 
     A Coronavirus board game (CBG) is known and teaches and entertain Italian kids about the coronavirus. The CGB reference also states that it is also known that a group of students from the LUMSA University in Rome has launched “L&#39;oca in quarantena” (“The goose in quarantine”) which teaches children how to protect themselves from the virus through recommendations and questions related to proper behavior. The CBG however does not teach a board game with Mask cards, Ventilator cards or tax or penalty cards, including examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic. Further, the CBG does not teach a board game with 40 spaces comprising 24 geographical locations or places in colored groupings of threes, wherein the geographical locations or places have some significance in the novel coronavirus 2019-2020 pandemic and spaces which include four world-leading hospitals, a Mobile Testing Unit and a Telemedicine Call Center in India. 
     The “Fight Against Corona” has some similarities to the popular board-game Life and has special blocks, such as an “Infected” block which leads a player to hospitalization. If you go to a “Restaurant” or a “Conference” block, you are directed to a path that requires you to wash your hands. The fight against Corona however does not however teach a board game with Mask cards, Ventilator cards or tax or penalty cards, including examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic. It further does not teach a board game with 40 spaces comprising 24 geographical locations or places in colored groupings of threes and includes geographical locations or places have some significance in the novel coronavirus 2019-2020 pandemic, wherein other spaces include four world leading hospitals, a Mobile Testing Unit and a Telemedicine Call Center in India. 
     It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a playing environment in which players learn about the novel coronavirus and the Covid-19 pandemic of 2019-2020. 
     Another object of the invention is to provide a playing environment in which players learn about world leaders, scientists and entertainers who have had an influential role during the novel coronavirus pandemic and about places which have been more adversely affected. 
     A further object of the invention is to provide a game in which players may learn about some places which have significance during the novel coronavirus pandemic and to invest in hospitals and clinics. 
     An additional object of the invention is to teach about economic loss during the pandemic. 
     Still another object of the invention is to stimulate discussion about the novel coronavirus pandemic and social responsibility. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     These and other objects of the invention, which shall become hereafter apparent, are achieved by a Board Game Relating to the Covid-19 Pandemic, comprising a preferably square game board having spaces corresponding to 24 different locations which are geographical or are hospitals, etc. . . . or have some significance to the novel coronavirus pandemic. As players move around the board, they may purchase locations as well as clinics or hospitals for the locations, collect or pay rent, pay taxes or penalties based on examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic, as well as learn facts, useful or otherwise, relating to the pandemic. 
     For illustrative purposes only, examples of economic loss could be tax or penalty spaces addressing (1) rent money lost by a person who returned to live with parents, (2) loss of insurance coverage over a telemedicine visit, (3) loss from use of ineffective immunity test kits and (4) loss of a bed and breakfast deposit. Again, these are for illustrative purposes only and undoubted pale in comparison to the numerous losses of life and depletion of life savings many have suffered during the pandemic. 
     Four corner spaces of the game board are a Begin Journey space, Go into ICU Quarantine space, In Quarantine/Only Visiting space and an Obtain Stimulus Funds space. The game preferably includes the ability to draw cards which provide educational and/or even sometimes amusing aspects (if that is even possible!) of the pandemic. 
     During game play, a player owning a complete set of locations of one color may purchase clinics to place on his/her location and will receive increased rent as shown on each location deed. A player may propose a potential transaction to another player when it is the proposing player&#39;s turn. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention will be better understood with reference to the Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiment, with reference to the drawing, of which: 
         FIG.  1    is a plan view of a Covidopoly 19 game board; 
         FIG.  2    is an enlarged plan view of several example locations from the board of  FIG.  1   ; 
         FIG.  3    is an enlarged plan view of the board of  FIG.  1   , showing an example of a tax or penalty space; 
         FIG.  4    shows examples of “Mask” cards from the Covidopoly 19 game; 
         FIG.  5    shows examples of “Ventilator” cards from the Covidopoly 19 game; 
         FIG.  6    shows an example of a game piece from the Covidopoly 19 game; and 
         FIG.  7    is an example of the currency used in the Covidopoly 19 game. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     The Board Game comprises a preferably square game board  1 , preferably about 16″×16″ and which may be foldable to be stored and shipped in a smaller game box. Of course different dimension board may be used or the board could be electronic and the game played electronically as well. The game board  1  preferably has 40 spaces hereon, comprising 24 geographical locations or places in colored groupings of threes. The geographical locations or places have some significance in the novel coronavirus 2019-2020 pandemic. As an example (see  FIG.  2   ), one color grouping includes Navajo Nation  2 , Haiti  3 , and Riker&#39;s Island  4 , all of which have suffered greatly during the pandemic. (As have numerous other places around the world). Other spaces include four leading hospitals of the world, including, the Mayo Clinic  5 , the Cleveland clinic  6 , The Johns Hopkins Hospital  7  and Singapore General Hospital  8 . Two other spaces include a Mobile Testing Unit  9  and a Telemedicine Call Center in India  10 . 
     There are four tax or penalty spaces  11 ,  12 ,  13 ,  14  (see  FIG.  2   ) which address examples of economic loss suffered in different ways during the pandemic, including (1) rent money lost by a person who returned to live with parents, (2) loss of insurance coverage over a telemedicine visit, (3) loss from use of ineffective immunity test kits and (4) loss of a bed and breakfast deposit. 
     The four corner spaces of the Board  1  are a Begin Journey space  15 , Go Into ICU Quarantine space  16 , In Quarantine/Only Visiting space  17  and an Obtain Stimulus Funds space  18 . 
     An important educational and sometimes amusing aspect of the game are the “Mask” and “Ventilator” cards (see examples in  FIGS.  4  and  5    respectively). Some of the cards are meant to be funny. For example “You keep overeating during the lockdown. Your belly is the curve that needs to be flattened. Pay $100.” But most are meant to be educational—for instance: “You are displaying neurological symptoms of the novel coronavirus, including dizziness, headaches, anosmia, tiredness and muscle pain. Pay $300.” 
     The game is played with two or more players and the setup includes placing the mask and ventilator cards (face down) in the respective rectangles  19 ,  20  on the game board  1 . Each player selects a game piece (see an example of a game piece in  FIG.  6   —although most any type of piece may be used) and places it on the Begin Journey space  15 . Each player is distributed $20,000 to start the game. 
       FIG.  7    shows an example of the currency used. Of course a different amount may be chosen to be distributed. One player is designated as the “banker” and holds all the undistributed money. Another player preferably is designated the location manager and hold the location deeds, clinics and hospitals. 
     To begin the game, a player roll three dice and moves his/her game piece according to the combined total. If a player lands on a colored location, hospital  5 ,  6 ,  7  or  8 , mobile testing unit  9  or the telemedicine call center  10 , he/she has the option of purchasing the same, for which he/she must pay the price indicated on the board, to the Bank. In exchange, he/she will receive the deed to the location and receives rent when another player lands thereon. The amount of rent to be paid is listed on each deed. A player who owns all of the locations in a color group may purchase clinics and hospitals for the locations according to the game rules. 
     A player who lands on a location, for which a single player owns that location and all other locations within that color group and where no clinics exist on the property landed upon, must pay to the bank one-and-a-half times the rent indicated on the card. 
     A player rolling a “triple” i.e., three identical amounts on each dice (for instance, all ones or all twos . . . or all sixes) receives another turn and rolls again. A player rolling a “ladder” of three consecutive numbers among the dice rolled (for instance 1, 2 and 3 or 2, 3 and 4 . . . or 4, 5 and 6) receives another turn and rolls again. 
     A location may be “mortgaged” back to the bank upon payment to the bank of the indicated mortgage value listed on the deed. (For example, Riker&#39;s Island  4  may be mortgaged for $300). When mortgaged, the deed should be flipped over, but held by the player who owned the location. Any other player landing on the location will not be assessed rent while the property is mortgaged. The property may be unmortgage by the owner paying to the bank 75% of the location sale price. For example, once mortgaged, Riker&#39;s Island  4  may be unmortgaged for $450. 
     A player owning a complete set of locations of one color (for example Navajo Nation  2 , Haiti  3  and Riker&#39;s Island  4 ) may purchase clinics to place on his/her location and will receive increased rent as shown on each location deed. Clinics (not shown) purchased must be divided as evenly as possible. (For example, one may not place two clinics on Navajo Nation  2  and none on Riker&#39;s Island  4  and Haiti  3 ). Once there are four clinics on every location within a particular color group, the owner may purchase a hospital (not shown) in place of the four clinics for the price as indicated on the deed. Purchased clinics and hospitals may not be moved from one location to another. No clinics or hospitals are placeable on the Mobile Testing Unit  9 , the Telemedicine Call Center  10  or on any of the hospitals (the Mayo Clinic  5 , Cleveland Clinic  6 , Johns Hopkins Hospital  7  or Singapore General Hospital  8 ). 
     A player may propose a potential transaction to another player when it is the proposing player&#39;s turn. 
     A player is out of the game if he/she runs out of money and has no property to mortgage back to the bank. 
     While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been depicted in detail, it will be understood that modifications, adaptions, additions, or omissions may be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as delineated in the following claims: