Raising awAIRness: The Board Game

Raising awAIRness is a simple board game designed to educate young kids about the potential exposure to air pollution as one commutes across London. Designed and presented at the Imperial Festival 2018.

boardgame

How to Play This Game

This game introduces some of the potential exposures to air pollution that a Londoner could encounter. 

Requirements

Designed for 2 to 4 players, this game requires a die with only 1, 2 and 3 on its faces. If you are playing with a normal 6-sided die, move 1, 2 and 3 steps if you throw a 4, 5 and 6 respectively. You will also need 50 to 100 tokens, depending on the number of players. The game should take no more than 3 to 4 minutes for 4 people.

Goals of the Game

All players start at the Home station with 15 tokens, which represent air pollution exposure level. Put the remaining tokens in a central repository next to the board. Your goal is to traverse across London to the School station as quickly as possible whilst maintaining the lowest air pollution exposure possible.

Navigating Across the Board

To navigate across London, players take turn to roll the die. After rolling, step through the corresponding number of stations. 

You can go both forward and backward, and you can even loop back onto yourself if you desire to do so. Ignore whether a station has already been occupied by another player. Whenever you encounter an interchange, feel free to switch between lines. If you land on an interchange, do nothing. 

Using the Tokens

Stations that you stop at en route increase or decrease the number of tokens by varying amounts. Stations with a red badge and an up arrow increase your exposure level, whereas stations with a green badge and a down arrow decrease your exposure level. Accrue or remove the corresponding amount of tokens when you land on a station. Only do so for the station that you have landed on, and not the stations that you are simply travelling through.

Special Stations

There are 3 types of special station, denoted by the dark blue badges. You will neither gain nor lose any token on these stations. Instead, depending on the specific station, you will: 

  • Lose the next round; 
  • Roll again immediately or; 
  • Be immune to any token accruement on the next and only the next round. 

Ending the Game

Once you have arrived at the School station, you have completed your journey. When players arrive at the School and complete the game, they accrue or lose tokens, depending on their order of arrival, and the number of players:

If there are four players:

  • First arrival: -5 tokens
  • Second arrival: -2 tokens
  • Third arrival: +2 tokens
  • Last arrival: +5 tokens

If there are only three players, follow these instead:

  • First arrival: -3 tokens
  • Second arrival: Do nothing
  • Last arrival: +3 tokens 

If there are only two players, follow these instead:

  • First arrival: -2 tokens
  • Second arrival: +2 tokens

Tally up the number of tokens each player has once everyone has finished their journey. The person with the lowest number of token wins the game. If you have 0 tokens but have yet to reach School, you must continue playing. If you step on a reduction station, do nothing. However, you can still accrue new tokens.

Game Strategy

While the player can switch between lines and paths through the game, there are three main lines that connect Home to School:

  1. Red Line: This is the fastest line between Home and School, but this convenience comes with a trade off, as almost all the stations along the route are heavily polluting. They significantly increase your air pollution exposure levels. 
  2. Green Line: This is the healthy, environmentally friendly option. Almost all the stations along this route reduce your exposure level. However, this route is long and windy, which is inconvenient and slow compared to the red line. 
  3. Yellow Line: This is the cautious, middle-ground option, with varying polluting and environmentally friendly stations. This route has a moderate number of stops, and a moderate air pollution footprint and exposure. 
Early concept design of the boardgame and station labels

Early concept design of the boardgame and station labels

Learn More About Air Pollution

Calculate your footprint: http://goo.gl/H3cb8F

BBC Bitesize: https://bbc.in/2HCrXvy

World Health Organisation: https://bit.ly/2Ie61Ud

NatGeo: https://on.natgeo.com/2kFeTYW

Grantham Institute: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/grantham/