Abstract:
A social interaction game is conducted to allow interaction of a plurality of players. A set of game pieces, having a chance element with between two and six possible outcomes is used, along with at least one set of affiliation elements, corresponding in number to the number of possible outcomes of the chance element. The active players are instructed to openly associate with one of the possible outcomes, using the affiliation elements. The players are instructed to interact with each other in influencing the association of other players. An outcome is determined, using the chance element. Based on the determined outcome, active players that have associated with at least one, but less than all, of the possible outcomes are retired from the game. If more than one active player remains after players are retired in this manner, the process is repeated, with only the non-retired players continuing to participate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a non-provisional of U.S. Ser. No. 61/111,025, filed 4 Nov. 2008, and is entitled to a claim of priority under 35 USC 119. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The disclosed embodiments relate to a game for providing social interaction in a group of people, particularly a large group, involving a chance element that assures a winner being determined. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE ART 
       [0003]    There are many situations where a number of people are assembled together who are not familiar with each other, or, increasing the interaction and familiarity of the people will be useful for achieving the overall purpose of the gathering. One example could be a church youth group. Another example could be a youth camp. 
         [0004]    In these situations, a desirable goal is to provide a game that puts the participants into an interactive environment, uses readily available physical resources, builds upon natural competitive instincts, and provides a clear winner in a short amount of time. 
         [0005]    Many games of chance, while providing a winner, allow, or indeed require, the participants to make their choices in a secretive or private manner, so the interactive element is not encouraged. 
         [0006]    It is therefore an object of the disclosed embodiments to provide a social interaction game that provides the desired goals. 
       SUMMARY 
       [0007]    This and other objects are achieved by a method of conducting a social interaction game with a plurality of players. The game is played with a set of game pieces, the first of which is a chance element with N possible outcomes, where N is an integer in the range of from two to six. Also a part of the games pieces is a set of N affiliation elements, corresponding to the N possible outcomes of the chance element. In a situation where N equals four, for example, the four possible outcomes could be a color, such as red, blue, green and yellow and the affiliation elements could be pylons or flags, each having one of the four colors. 
         [0008]    The players actively participating in the game are instructed to associate in an open manner with one of the N possible outcomes. To enhance the social interaction aspects of the method, the instruction should include encouraging the active players to interact with each other in determining the selected possible outcome. 
         [0009]    After each player associates with a selected one of the possible outcomes of the chance element, the chance element is used to determine one of the possible outcomes. 
         [0010]    Based upon the determined outcome, certain active players associated with at least one, but less than all, of the N possible outcomes are retired from the game, leaving the remaining players as active players. In one variation of doing this, the active players associated with the determined outcome are retired from the game. In another variation, the active players not associated with the determined outcome are retired from the game. 
         [0011]    If more than one active player remains after the retiring step, the process is repeated from the step of instructing the active players to openly associate with one of the N possible outcomes. 
         [0012]    In one variation of the method, the active players are instructed to associate in an open manner with one of the N possible outcomes by moving to an affiliation zone that is defined by and associated with one of the affiliation elements. In another variation, which is especially useful with players having limited mobility, each player has a set of affiliation elements and associates in an open manner with one of the N possible outcomes by displaying a selected affiliation element associated with the possible outcome to the exclusion of the other affiliation elements. In an example, the affiliation elements may be colored paddles, flags or cards. 
         [0013]    In a variation of the method, in the instructing step, if the number of active players is N or less, the active players are instructed that no more than one active player can associate with any one of the possible outcomes. 
         [0014]    Other objects are achieved by providing a set of game pieces, comprising a chance element having an integral number of possible outcomes, the integral number being between two and six; and a set of affiliation elements, with one affiliation element marked to correspond to one of the possible outcomes of the chance element. 
         [0015]    Even further objects are achieved by providing a kit, comprising the set of game pieces and a set of written instructions for how to practice the method. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0016]    The invention will be better understood when reference is made to the appended drawings, in which identical parts are identified by identical reference numbers and wherein: 
           [0017]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a chance element used in the game; 
           [0018]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the chance element; 
           [0019]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a smaller version of the second embodiment; 
           [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of a first embodiment of an affiliation element used in the game, showing one of the set of elements; and 
           [0021]      FIG. 5  is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a set of affiliation elements. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0022]    In a first embodiment, a social interaction game is provided that depends upon a very limited number of physical objects or resources. In this embodiment, a chance element is provided that randomly selects between at least two results, but preferably, there are six or fewer results, and, in the embodiment being presently described, four possible results are provided. One way of providing such a four-result chance element is to provide an essentially tetrahedronal device, with each of the four “points” or vertices of the chance element being marked with one of the four results. An embodiment of this chance element  100  is shown in  FIG. 1 , which is a tetrahedronally-shaped device assembled from four tennis balls  102 ,  104 ,  106 ,  108 , each of which has a distinct marking distinguishing it from the other balls. Color provides the distinction in this embodiment, with a green ball  102 , a red ball  104 , a yellow ball  106  and a blue ball  108 . Another embodiment would be a device as used in the game of “jacks”, but in which the distal end of each “arm” of the jack has the distinct marking. A third embodiment of the chance element would be a traditional tetrahedron-shaped “pyramid” having four triangularly shaped faces, with four “vertices” in three of the four faces meet. By distinctively marking each of these vertices, especially with color, the chance feature of the element is provided. 
         [0023]    In use, the chance element is thrown, spun, or otherwise released, so that it can end up in a random position that selects one result over the others. For example, in the chance element  100  in  FIG. 1 , the “selected” result is illustrated by ball  102 , that is, the color “green.” 
         [0024]    A second embodiment  200  of the chance element is shown in perspective view in  FIG. 2 , where four spherical portions of identical radius are attached to a central spherical body. The four spherical portions  202 ,  204 ,  206 ,  208  are colored green, red, yellow and blue, respectively. A smaller version  300  of the second embodiment is shown in perspective view in  FIG. 3 , where the four spherical portions  302 ,  304 ,  306  and  308  are again colored green, red, yellow and blue, respectively. 
         [0025]    It will be recognized that there are other types of indicia that could be used as results. For example, the numbers 1 through 4 could be used in a 4-result game, as could the four directions (east, west, north and south, or the letters E, W, N and S, representing the same concept). 
         [0026]    While not a critical aspect of the game play, a feature that is desirable is having the chance element  100  be of a sufficient size and with sufficiently conspicuous marking of the result indicia, so that the outcome of a result determination using the chance element can be readily observed by the participants. In the  FIG. 1  illustration, the colors of the balls  102 ,  104 ,  106 ,  108  provide the result indicia. 
         [0027]    Once a chance element  100  is provided, the social interaction game needs a set of affiliation elements, with one affiliation element corresponding to each outcome or result for the chance element with which it will be used. In an exemplary game using the chance element  100 , an embodiment  400  of the set of affiliation elements could be pylons  402 ,  404 ,  406  and  408 , where pylon  402  is colored green, pylon  404  is colored red, pylon  406  is colored blue and pylon  408  is colored yellow. Of these, an exemplary pylon  404  is shown in  FIG. 4 . It is not important that the entire pylon have the coloration that associates it with the chance element, as a colored label, albeit a conspicuously colored label will suffice. For example, if the numbers 1-4 or the directions N, E, W and S are used, it is only necessary that the chance element and the affiliation elements correspond in their markings. In some instances, a plurality of affiliation elements of the same color may be used to set off a defined affiliation zone, where players choosing that element may assemble. 
         [0028]    In some variations of the game, players having limited mobility, such as disabled or elderly players, may be accommodated by providing each player with an individual set of affiliation elements. In one such circumstance, and as shown in  FIG. 5 , a second embodiment  500  of the affiliation elements may comprise a set of four colored paddles  502 ,  504 ,  506 ,  508 , which correspond to the chance element, such as by being colored green, red, yellow and blue, respectively. 
         [0029]    Due to the chance nature of the game, random number generation can be used to provide samples of representative gameplay. For example, by generating random numbers between 0 and 1 and assigning the results from 0.0001 to 0.25 to outcome “1”, assigning results from 0.25001 to 0.50000 to outcome “2”, assigning the results from 0.50001 to 0.75000 to outcome “3”, and assigning results from 0.75001 to 1.0000 to outcome “4”, a game can be simulated. 
         [0030]    Using such a system, a game involving 100 players was simulated. Using the first four random numbers of a first set of five random numbers, the 100 players were assigned to the four affiliation stations as follows: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   35   15   30   20                        
Using the fifth random number in the set, an outcome of “1” was determined, so the 35 players at station 1 are eliminated and 65 players remain.
 
         [0031]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 65 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a second round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   16   25   21   3                        
Using the fifth random number of the second set, an outcome of “3” was determined, so the 21 players at station 3 are eliminated and 44 players remain.
 
         [0032]    With a third further set of five random numbers, the 44 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a third round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   16   1   15   12                        
Using the fifth random number of the third set, an outcome of “2” was determined, so the 1 player at station 2 is eliminated and 43 players remain.
 
         [0033]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 43 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a fourth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   7   6   16   14                        
Using the fifth random number of the fourth set, an outcome of “3” was determined, so the 16 players at station 3 are eliminated and 27 players remain.
 
         [0034]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 27 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a fifth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   4   7   12   4                        
Using the fifth random number of the fifth set, an outcome of “1” was determined, so the 4 players at station 1 are eliminated and 23 players remain.
 
         [0035]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 23 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a sixth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   1   4   9   9                        
Using the fifth random number of the sixth set, an outcome of “3” was determined, so the 9 players at station 3 are eliminated and 14 players remain.
 
         [0036]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 14 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a seventh round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   5   2   3   4                        
Using the fifth random number of the seventh set, an outcome of “3” was determined, so the 3 players at station 3 are eliminated and 11 players remain.
 
         [0037]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 11 players are distributed across the stations as follows in an eighth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   3   2   5   1                        
Using the fifth random number of the eighth set, an outcome of “2” was determined, so the 2 players at station 2 are eliminated and 9 players remain.
 
         [0038]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 9 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a ninth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   2   2   3   2                        
Using the fifth random number of the ninth set, an outcome of “4” was determined, so the 2 players at station 4 are eliminated and 7 players remain.
 
         [0039]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 7 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a tenth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   3   2   2   0                        
Using the fifth random number of the tenth set, an outcome of “1” was determined, so the 3 players at station 1 are eliminated and 4 players remain.
 
         [0040]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 4 players are distributed across the stations as follows in an eleventh round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   1   0   2   1                        
Using the fifth random number of the eleventh set, an outcome of “3” was determined, so the 2 players at station 3 are eliminated and 2 players remain.
 
         [0041]    With a further set of five random numbers, the 2 players are distributed across the stations as follows in a twelfth round, using the first four random numbers: 
         [0000]                                                                                            Station                    1   2   3   4                            No. of players   1   0   1   0                        
Using the fifth random number of the twelfth set, an outcome of “3” was determined, so the player at station 3 is eliminated and the player at station 1 remains, as the winner.
 
         [0042]    Repeating the simulation with a further set of 100 players, the game can be represented in the following table: 
         [0000]                                                                                              Players   Station   Station   Station   Station   Out-   Players       Round   at start   1   2   3   4   come   at end                                1   100   17   43   17   23   3   83       2   83   17   29   24   12   4   71       3   71   6   23   20   22   1   65       4   65   20   19   11   15   2   46       5   46   8   7   15   16   3   31       6   31   3   9   12   7   3   19       7   19   5   6   6   2   3   13       8   13   9   0   4   0   1   4       9   4   1   1   1   1   4   3       10   3   1   0   1   1   1   2       11   2   1   0   1   0   2   2       12   2   1   1   0   0   2   1                    
A difference noted in this simulated game is that Round 11 produced an outcome of “2”, but as station 2 was not occupied in that round, no players were eliminated.
 
         [0043]    A variation on the game allows for quicker play. In the variation, the players at the station determined by the outcome from the chance element stay in the game, rather than leave the game. 
         [0044]    A set of random numbers was generated in the same manner as described above and the simulation provided these results for the game variation: 
         [0000]                                                                                              Players   Station   Station   Station   Station   Out-   Players       Round   at start   1   2   3   4   come   at end                                1   100   13   13   37   37   1   13       2   13   6   3   2   2   3   2       3   2   1   1   0   0   3   2       4   2   1   0   0   1   1   1                    
In this simulation, attention is directed to the third round, where the outcome of “3” would result in both remaining players being eliminated without selecting a winner, so the players were allowed to reposition themselves in round 4, where a winner was determined.
 
         [0045]    In a second simulation of the variation game, the following results were obtained: 
         [0000]                                                                                              Players   Station   Station   Station   Station   Out-   Players       Round   at start   1   2   3   4   come   at end                                1   100   18   58   18   6   4   6       2   6   3   0   1   2   1   3       3   3   2   0   0   1   1   2       4   2   0   1   0   1   3   2       5   2   1   0   0   1   4   1                    
As before, this game contained a round (the fourth round in this case), where the outcome of “3” would result in both remaining players being eliminated without selecting a winner, so the players were allowed to reposition themselves in round 5, where a winner was determined.
 
         [0046]    While the above examples of game play are illustrative of truly random game play, the inventor&#39;s experience is that, in practice, the open opportunity for each player to affiliate with colleagues at a particular station, or, conversely, to disassociate with others by choosing a different station, opens up the social interaction and “breaks the ice” even among players who are previously not acquainted. The chance element, with its inherently depersonalized nature, stands in stark contrast to the extremely personalized group of participants. To emphasize this even further, a desirable aspect of the game play is to provide a distinct time period between throws of the chance element, so that each player may observe the actions of the others.