Board Game and Method for Teaching Generational Wealth and African Nova Scotian Community Development

Abstract

A board game designed to educate players about African Nova Scotian history while teaching essential concepts related to building generational wealth and community development and a method of play are disclosed. The game features a board comprising a plurality of blocks, each representing African Nova Scotian communities with associated property prices. Players take turns moving characters around the board, purchasing properties, collecting rent, and engaging in financial transactions managed by a banker. Special blocks on the board provide cultural and historical context, enhancing the educational experience. The method of playing includes financial transactions managed by a banker and strategic gameplay where players can double rent for owning all properties within a county. The game concludes when one player owns all properties on the board.

Claims

1. A board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development comprising: a planar game board having a first block disposed around its edges, the first block corresponding to a specific African Nova Scotian community and comprised of a property price and a pictorial representation of a county associated with the specific African Nova Scotian community; a character configured to move along the block on the planar game board during a gameplay; and a set of game rules enabling players to purchase a property, engage in a financial transaction, and accumulate a wealth within the specific African Nova Scotian communities.

2. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 1, wherein the game board is rectangular or square in shape.

3. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 1, wherein the first block is labeled with a name comprised of a Shelburne county, a Halifax county, or a Digby county.

4. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 1, wherein the pictorial representation on the block corresponds to a specific county associated with the specific African Nova Scotian community.

5. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 1, wherein the planar game board is comprised of a special block.

6. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 5, wherein the special block is comprised of a Black cultural center block, a Museum block, and a special town block.

7. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 1 further comprised of a second block comprised of a fist.

8. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 1 further comprised of a third block comprised of a question mark.

9. A board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development comprising: a game board comprised of a first block representing an African Nova Scotian community, the block associated with a community name, a property price, and a corresponding county representation; a character movable across the first block during a gameplay; a county card corresponding to a county on the game board and that is comprised of a property detail such as a rent, a mortgage value, and a sell value; and a set of game rules allowing players to purchase and develop a property, contribute to a community development projects, and accumulate a wealth.

10. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 9, wherein the county card is comprised of a detail about the property, wherein the detail is comprised of a rent value, a mortgage amount, and a sell value.

11. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 9, wherein during the gameplay a player can charge a double rent for a property in a county when they own all of the properties in the county.

12. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 9 further comprising a Solidarity first card used when the character lands on a Solidarity first block.

13. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 9 further comprising a board question card used when the character lands on a block featuring a Question mark image.

14. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 9, wherein the community development project is comprised of building a school, building a community center, or building a park.

15. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 9 further comprising a rule allowing a player to take out a loans or a line of credit from a banker to purchase an additional property or build a house or a hotel.

16. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 15, wherein the loan must be repaid with an interest.

17. A method of using a board game designed to teach generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development, the method comprising the following steps: providing a player with an initial virtual capital; moving a character along a block on a game board by rolling a dice, where the block represents a community and has a corresponding property price; enabling a player to purchase a property, earn a rent from another player, and manage a financial transaction through a designated banker; and ending the board game designed to teach generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development when a player owns all of a set of properties on the game board.

18. The method of using a board game designed to teach generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 17, wherein the initial virtual capital provided to the player is adjustable by the designated banker.

19. The method of using a board game designed to teach generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 17 further comprised of a step of allowing a player to move the character based on a sum of a dice and a second dice, or a value of the dice, allowing for a strategic movement.

20. The method of using a board game designed to teach generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development of claim 17, wherein the board game designed to teach generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development ends when a player accumulates a property deed of the property on the game board.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The description refers to provided drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views, and in which:

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the board game kit of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed structure;

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart depicting a Blackopoly gameplay using the game board of the present invention in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing cards illustrating different counties related to the African Nova Scotian communities in accordance with the disclosed structure;

[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view showing exemplary Solidarity first cards used in the blackopoly of generational wealth game 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view showing the board question cards used in the Blackopoly of generational wealth game 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

[0021] The innovation is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to facilitate a description thereof. Various embodiments are discussed hereinafter. It should be noted that the figures are described only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended as an exhaustive description of the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention. Additionally, an illustrated embodiment need not have all the aspects or advantages shown. Thus, in other embodiments, any of the features described herein from different embodiments may be combined.

[0022] As noted above, there exists a long-felt need in the art for a board game that can effectively teach African Nova Scotians about their history and communities in an engaging and interactive manner. There is also a long-felt need in the art for educational tools that can provide entertainment while imparting important cultural and historical knowledge. Additionally, there is a long-felt need for a game that incorporates financial literacy, community development, and wealth-building strategies. Moreover, there is a long-felt need for a culturally relevant board game that emphasizes the unique aspects of African Nova Scotian history. Further, there is a long-felt need for a game that promotes strategic thinking about investments and property ownership while maintaining educational and historical components. Finally, there is a long-felt need for a game that prevents people from getting bored when learning about their history, community, and ancestors.

[0023] The present invention, in one exemplary embodiment, is a board game for teaching generational wealth-building and community development. The board game includes a planar game board having a plurality of blocks disposed around the edges thereof, each block represents a different African Nova Scotian community property, wherein each block is associated with a property price corresponding to the neighborhood of the respective community. A set of characters are included for selection by players to represent them in the game, each character is adapted to be movable along the blocks on the game board. A set of financial transactions are controlled by a banker, the transactions involve the purchase and sale of properties, collection of rent from owned properties, and other financial actions to simulate real-life wealth-building scenarios. The players accumulate wealth by purchasing and developing properties within African Nova Scotian communities, and the game ends when a player acquires all the property deeds on the game board.

[0024] Reference will now be made in detail to the present preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

[0025] Referring initially to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of the board game kit of the present invention in accordance with the disclosed structure. The board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 of the present invention is designed to teach African Nova Scotians about their history and communities while also educating them on concepts related to building generational wealth. Preferably, the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 includes elements of property acquisition and community building to engage players in a learning experience centered on the economic empowerment of their communities. More specifically, the board game 100 includes a planar game board 102 which is preferably generally square or rectangular but may be any shape. In the preferred embodiment, the game board 102 is about 75 cm by 51 cm in size but may be any size.

[0026] The game board 102 includes a plurality of blocks 104a-n disposed around the edges 106,108,110,112 of the game board 102. The blocks 104a-n feature names 114a-n of African Nova Scotian communities, wherein each block corresponds to a specific community. Each block also includes a property price 116 corresponding to the community wherein the property price 116 is determined by the specific neighborhood. Each community disposed on the game board 102 corresponds to at least one county of African Nova Scotians. Different counties such as but not limited to Shelburne County, Halifax County, Digby County, and more which are illustrated in FIG. 3.

[0027] Each county is represented uniquely using a pictorial representation 118 on the game board. Each block 104a-n includes a county representation corresponding to the community included in the block 104a-n. As a non-limiting example, the block 104a includes the Southville community 114a and a pictorial representation 120 corresponding to Digby County is included in the block 104a.

[0028] For playing the game using the game board 102, each player can choose a character 600 to represent them in the game. The character can be a physical avatar or any other physical piece that moves around the board along the blocks 104a-n. All players begin at the START corner 122 of the board 102 and as characters 600 progress around the board during play, players engage in property purchases and transactions as described later in the disclosure.

[0029] It will be noted that different properties located within the African Nova Scotian communities are represented by the blocks and different properties of counties are included in the blocks. There is a set 124 of special blocks included in the board 102 which represents Solidarity first which is used for showing encouragement or providing an answer regarding the life and liberty being fought for African Nova Scotians and a greeting of solidarity with the African Nova Scotians people. Another set 126 of blocks include a Question mark image where if a character 600 lands, then the corresponding player can ask a question about the history of the African Nova Scotian communities.

[0030] The board 102 may include special corner blocks including a Black cultural center block 128, a Museum block 130, and a special town block 132. When character 600 of a player reaches one of these blocks, the player tells the significance of the mentioned place for African Nova Scotian communities.

[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates a flow chart depicting a method of playing 200 a Blackopoly game using the game board 102 of the present invention in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The goal of the Blackopoly game 100 is to teach players to accumulate wealth by purchasing and developing property within African Nova Scotian communities. Initially, each player starts with a starting virtual capital, such as but not limited to $200,000, which is provided by a banker to the players (Step 202). Depending on the preferences of the players, the starting virtual capital can be adjusted by the banker. Then, the players take turns rolling two dice to move their character around the board 102 through the blocks 104a-n (Step 204). Players can move the value of one die, the other, or the sum of both, allowing for strategic movement.

[0032] During the movement of their character, when a player lands on an unowned property block, the player has the option to purchase the property mentioned in the block (Step 206). The players can also earn rent from other players who land on properties they own. All financial transactions are handled by the Banker, who holds the property deeds and manages funds from property sales, houses, and hotels. Finally, the game ends when one player owns all the deeds of the properties on the board and thereby completes the ownership of all the properties (Step 208).

[0033] It should be noted that the game 100 is designed to simulate real-life scenarios of economic development and wealth-building within African Nova Scotian communities. The game teaches players how to accumulate wealth by purchasing and developing property within their communities.

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view showing cards illustrating different counties related to the African Nova Scotian communities in accordance with the disclosed structure. The blackopoly of generational wealth game 100 allows users to sell and buy properties of different counties related to the African Nova Scotian communities. As illustrated, a plurality of county cards 302a-n are provided along with the game board 102 wherein each card corresponds to an African Nova Scotian community county. As shown as an example, the Shelburne country card 302a includes the pictorial representation 304a which is also disposed on the game board 102 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0035] Additional property details such as monthly rent details 306a of different types of properties 308 of the county are included in the card 302a. Mortgage value and other sell value details 310 are also included in the card. Also, as per the rules of the game, if a player owns all the properties in a specific county, the player gets the rights to charge double the rent of the properties of the county.

[0036] In some embodiments, players can contribute funds to community development projects such as building schools, community centers, or parks in the properties they own to benefit everyone in the game by reducing tax burdens, increasing property values, or providing other advantages. In other embodiments, players can take out loans or lines of credit from the banker to invest in more properties or build houses/hotels. However, loans must be paid back with interest, affecting future turns.

[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view showing exemplary Solidarity first cards used in the educational board game for promoting financial literacy and cultural awareness in African Nova Scotian Communities 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, a plurality of first cards 402 are provided wherein a first card is shown by a player when the character of the player is placed on one of the Solidarity first block of the board 102.

[0038] FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view showing the board question cards used in the blackopoly of generational wealth game 100 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated, a plurality of board question cards 502 are provided wherein a board question card is shown by a player when the character of the player is placed on one of the board question block of the board 102.

[0039] Certain terms are used throughout the following description and claims to refer to particular features or components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, different persons may refer to the same feature or component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components or features that differ in name but not structure or function. As used herein educational board game for promoting financial literacy and cultural awareness in African Nova Scotian Communities, board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development, blackopoly of generational wealth game, and board game are interchangeable and refer to the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 of the present invention.

[0040] Notwithstanding the forgoing, the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 of the present invention can be of any suitable size and configuration as is known in the art without affecting the overall concept of the invention, provided that it accomplishes the above stated objectives. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 as shown in the FIGS. are for illustrative purposes only, and that many other sizes and shapes of the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 are well within the scope of the present disclosure. Although the dimensions of the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 are important design parameters for user convenience, the board game for teaching generational wealth and African Nova Scotian community development 100 may be of any size that ensures optimal performance during use and/or that suits the user's needs and/or preferences.

[0041] Various modifications and additions can be made to the exemplary embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the present invention. While the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combinations of features and embodiments that do not include all of the described features. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications, and variations as fall within the scope of the claims, together with all equivalents thereof.

[0042] What has been described above includes examples of the claimed subject matter. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the claimed subject matter, but one of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the claimed subject matter are possible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Furthermore, to the extent that the term includes is used in either the detailed description or the claims, such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term comprising as comprising is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim.