Environmental Toxins Project
The focus of this project was to research a specific case, in which we research how a specific hazardous material, or pollutant is found in everyday life or how a specific accident can affect a large amount of people and the surrounding environment. Once we had a topic we created a short slide show which lasted only around a minute and a half, but covered a large amount of content. My presentation was on the Times Beach incident, in which an entire town was evacuated because of industrial waste known as TCDD or 2,3,7,8, Tetrachlorodibenzo P Dioxin. This was a byproduct of a nearby chemical plant, and that chemical was used as an active ingredient for Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The toxin was released in a form of oil sprayed on dirt roads to keep the dust down. After a local flood swept through Times Beach, the Dioxin spread everywhere and began to sicken the population until the CDC ordered an evacuation of the town. The government issued a buyout the town, and soon after a cleanup operation saw the down dismantled and buried. Times Beach no longer exists and is now a state park of just grass and trees as a result of this incident. Victims remain with long term illnesses including various cancers and health problems for their children.
Developing a Game
After each person in the class presented their slideshow, we were split up into groups and were now tasked with choosing one of our slideshows as a topic to create a board game. However our group chose a different approach. I had the idea of doing a board game based on the infamous 1986 Chernobyl accident. Featuring electronics and random events. The game went through several iterations before finally settling on the final version of the game. Focusing less on playing against each other, and instead encouraging the team work together in an attempt to repair the reactor.
Designing the Board
Once we had a concept of what the gameplay would be like, we had to figure out what the actual board was going to look like. We began prototyping with basic office materials such as index cards, large project paper, and paper dice. We invited 11th Graders to come play our games and give us feedback on what we can change, and based on what we got, we further improved the game. Once we had playtested time and time again, we were ready for the final board.
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