EDTEC 670 Board Game Project Proposal Detail

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Title	Death and Taxes
Description	My idea is a board game called "Death and Taxes." The idea is to educate people about wills, trust, probate, estate taxes, etc. - basically the stuff that people should know (and generally don't know) about estate law. Players start with a predetermined amount of money. As they move around the board, different life events occur that increase or decrease the amount of each player's money. Additionally, players can use some of their money to make estate planning decisions, such as writing a will, setting up a trust, picking an executor, etc. Element of chance will be introduced by dice rolls to determine what squares players land on, plus random event cards that can bring both good and bad major events: 401k accounts can increase or decrease in value, an unexpected illness could bring large medical bills, you could be unemployed for some time, or you could receive an inheritance from the death of a loved one. The game ends when each player has died (this happens either through a random event card or by reaching the end of the game board). The winner will be the player with the largest post-tax estate. A very simplified formula for determining taxes will be used to keep the focus on learning the major principles of estate planning instead of mathematics. Replay value can be added by keeping the game fast-paced, and adding humor to the life events, random event cards, and game board. I recently took an estate planning workshop through work, and I realized how little I understood about the process. The presentation of the topic was incredibly boring, and it was difficult to understand. I think that a game could greatly simplify the topic, make it fun, add some elements of chance, and leave the player with a better understanding of estate planning. I'm good with Illustrator/Photoshop, so no problems there. I don't consider myself a SME.
Submitted by:	Michael Frisby, jaredfrisby@mac.com