This week we had to invent a persuasive card game (one that uses either hard fun, easy fun, serious fun or people fun). We had to briefly describe the game including AUDIENCE and SERIOUS GOALS. Here is my response:
Managing Chronic Disease (Manchrod)
Fun: Serious fun
Serious Goals: Persuading people to better manage chronic health conditions. In chronic diseases, that are spread across many years, the challenge is not just information but taking preventive measures at regular intervals, to check it. People get bored and tend to overlook measures. This game would serve as a reminder and a persuasive agent for better healthcare.
Players: Children or adults with chronic diseases such as Diabetes I, Diabetes II, Obesity, Hypertension. People without these conditions can play it too to understand the complexities of the disease and thus prevent themselves from getting into it. Two or more players are needed to play the game.
Cards: There are four types of cards.
- Diabetes I, Diabetes II, Obesity, Hypertension
Each series has 13 cards marked from 1-13. These numbers speak about the severity of the disease. Stage 13 is the last stage where the disease is unmanageable. Each card depending on the stage of the disease would carry a message that deals with precaution, motivation or preventive measures. One 52 card deck for two players, two decks for three or four people are required (people should have enough cards).
Game: This game is a variation of Rummy. It has eleven rounds. The first dealer is chosen at random and the turn to deal passes to the left after each round. In the first round three cards are dealt to each player, in the second round four cards are dealt and so on until the eleventh and last round in which thirteen cards each are dealt. The remainder of the cards are placed face down on the table to form a stock pile. The top card of the stock will be flipped facing up and put beside the stock pile to start the discard pile.
Goal of the Game: The goal of the game is to form all the cards in your hand into combinations. There are two types of valid combinations: A set or group of three or more cards of the same rank, such as Diabetes5-Hypertension5-Obesity5; A run or sequence of three or more cards in the same suit, such as Diabetes 4- Hypertension 5- Obesity 6
Wild Cards: In each round there is a wild card. It is the card equal to the number of cards dealt on that round. Wild cards can be used in place of any other card in making a group or sequence.
The Game play: The player to dealer’s left begins, and players take turns clockwise around the table. A turn consists of drawing one card – either the top card of the face down stock or the top card of the discard pile – and then discarding one card face up on top of the discard pile. Only the top card of the discard pile can be taken.
Going Out: You can go out at your turn to play if, after drawing the top card of the stock or the top discard, you are able to arrange all the cards in your hand except one into separate sets, and then discard a card. In this case, when discarding, you announce that you are out. Each of the other players is allowed one more turn. When the turn to play comes back to you the round is over and the scores are calculated.
Scoring: At the end of the round, each player arranges as much as possible of their hand into sets and runs. Any cards that are not included in a set or run are counted as penalty points against the holder. The scores are accumulated from round to round, and whoever has the lowest score at the end of the eleventh round is the winner.
Twist: At the end of each round, the losers can ask the winner about the message displayed on the cards of his sequence. For e.g. if the winner got a sequence of Diabetes5-Hypertension5-Obesity5. The opponent can ask about the message displayed on Hypertension5. Suppose the message displayed on that card was ???Avoid Red Meat??? and the winner is not able to recollect it then 5 points will be added to his score of that round. The crux of the game is not just winning it but taking the message home. The players should realize that one disease condition is easier to control than multiple. Thus a combination of Diabetes5-Hypertension5-Obesity5 will add more points to your score as compared to Diabetes6- Diabetes7- Diabetes8. Different combination points will be written on the back of the pack as twist rules.
