Date: Fri 20-Jun-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Quick Words:

health-AIDS-game-Perrone

Full Text:

Risky Business: Learning About AIDS Through Roll Of The Dice

(with photos, illustrations)

BY ANDREA ZIMMERMANN

When a tough week hits, most of us are happy just to have survived it and reap

the benefits of a weekend. Like life, the prototype board game Risky Business

reflects how life can quickly get turned upside-down if you acquire HIV or

AIDS.

The board game was designed by 17-year-old Nicholas Perrone, a senior at

Newtown High and member of Newtown Youth Creating AIDS Awareness For Peers.

The entire 16-member NYCAAP group contributed ideas to the project, and Nick

spent "an obscene amount of time" (about 60 hours) creating the board, cards,

and game pieces on his computer at home.

The gameboard represents a week-in-the-life, and the object is to get one of

each eight Life Cards which would indicate a balanced life. Life Cards relate

to family, food, friends, happiness, health, morals/values, shelter, and car.

You stay alive by holding a health card.

"The game represents life, the everyday things you do," said Nick, pointing to

a mock-up of the game board. "Getting gas for your car, paying rent, staying

healthy, getting a good grade on a test, doing things with your family."

But a roll of the dice can land you on a space that requires you to choose

either a Risk or Positive card (positive card is chosen by players who have

"become" HIV positive during the game). And Risk Cards can range from "You go

skydiving - Gain a Happiness Card" to "You get mugged on the subway and the

thief stabs you with an HIV infected needle. Loose a Health Card and take a

Probability Card" to "You have sex with a prostitute. Pay $150 and go to the

AIDS Clinic."

Once at the clinic, you pick a Probability Card that determines if a player

has HIV, AIDS, or "tests" negative. Here a card reading "+" means a player has

acquired HIV and inevitably gets AIDS (and loses one turn). Other cards have

letters which, when enough are drawn, can spell out H-I-V or A-I-D-S. When

this happens, you have it. So the risk increases as the game goes on, and the

gameboard changes somewhat after a certain number of rounds.

But just because you are infected with the virus or have AIDS does not mean

the game is over. "Once you get AIDS the entire game changes. You go

counter-clockwise - there is no normal pattern," said Nick. As in life, your

entire world is turned upside-down, he said. And every time you land on a

space that requires payment (rent or services, for example) you pay an extra

hundred dollars if you have AIDS.

"It's not - BANG! You're dead. You're lingering there," said Nick, pointing to

another parallel to real life. Positive cards range from "You have unprotected

sex - infect another player of your choice" to "You see a beautiful sunset -

now that you have AIDS you appreciate life more and that sunset brings much

joy."

If you have AIDS and lose your Health Card, you have only one week (or one

trip around the board) to acquire or buy one. Although it is a struggle,

players who have AIDS can actually win Risky Business, said Nick.

The designer recalled playing with someone who "contracted AIDS," lost his

health card, and then lost the game. "He said to me, `Wow. I just died of

AIDS.' There's a feeling of truth [to the game]," said Nick. "But my objective

is not to make people feel bad."

Why design a game like this?

"For total enjoyment," said Nick. "It's the best way to teach a `shunned'

topic...with a smile on your face. Not to the extent that you're joking. You

definitely want to get across the seriousness."

Last summer, Nick had a glimpse of the psychological aspects of HIV and AIDS

when he spent three weeks with the UConn Mentor Connection AIDS Risk Reduction

group. Part of his work required him to read over interviews conducted with

infected people. "I saw how people deal with such a deadly disease," he said.

"I saw happiness and sadness and wanted to [reflect] the same thing in this

game."

Nick and the NYCAAP group tried to include a lot of facts about HIV and AIDS

in the educational game, which Nick said is for people "6 to 106." Risky

Business is being entered in the Games To Help People Contest sponsored by

Childswork. The prize is $1,000 and publication/marketing of the board.

NYCAAP and Newtown Youth Services believe this game could be an educational

tool used by health teachers and families. The goal is to inform, refresh the

knowledge people already have, and to entertain.

"If they know this was developed by kids they might think, `This is real

stuff, not just what the teacher is telling us; maybe we should listen now,'"

said Nick. "It's not to enforce safe sex, just to remind people there's more

to live for than to die for in this world."