Method of Modifying a Standard Game and Resulting Modified Game

Abstract

A modified game includes a plurality of mascots, a playing area, and at least one supplemental game piece related to a first mascot. The modified game includes rules adapted from a standard game, one adaptation being the allowance of the first mascot to use the supplemental game piece to impede movement of at least one other mascot or enhance movement of the first mascot. A method of modifying a standard game includes the steps of using mascots as players, reducing a size of a playing area, amending at least one rule, and providing a first mascot with a supplemental game piece that is absent in a standard game, the supplemental game piece being related to the first mascot. The method also includes allowing the first mascot to use the supplemental game piece during game play.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to games and, more particularly, to a method of modifying a standard game and the resulting modified game.

Games such as football, basketball, baseball, hockey, etc. are well known. The mascots associated with college and professional teams are also well known to those who frequently watch sports on television or in person. Frequently, the mascots provide significant entertainment to the spectators. In addition, television promoters, athletic directors, and team boosters are always looking for additional sources of entertainment revenue from unique marketing promotions.

Various devices and methods have been proposed in the prior art for modifying the normal game play of well known sports games. Although assumably effective for their intended purposes, the existing proposals do not provide team mascots as the players, modify normal game rules to accommodate mascot costumes, or provide supplemental game pieces that impede movement of opposing players or enhance movement of a mascot.

Therefore, it would be desirable to have a modified game that uses team mascots as the players and that modifies traditional game rules to accommodate the use of mascot costumes. Further, it would be desirable to have a method of modifying a standard game that provides supplemental game pieces to impede movement of opposing players or enhancing movement of a mascot.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A modified game according to the present invention includes a plurality of mascots, a playing area, and at least one supplemental game piece related to a first mascot. The modified game includes rules adapted from a standard game, one adaptation being the allowance of the first mascot to use the supplemental game piece to impede movement of at least one other mascot or enhance movement of the first mascot. A method of modifying a standard game includes the steps of using mascots as players, reducing a size of a playing area, amending at least one rule, and providing a first mascot with a supplemental game piece that is absent in a standard game, the supplemental game piece being related to the first mascot. The method also includes allowing the first mascot to use the supplemental game piece during game play.

This method may be used with any of the standard games that typically include a mascot, such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, wrestling, track & field, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, etc., by modifying standard game pieces and adding appropriate supplemental game pieces. Preferably, the supplemental game pieces are in some way associated with the nature of the mascot. For example, a Trojan mascot may be appropriately associated with spears, helmets, and shields whereas a Cardinal or other bird type mascot may be appropriately associated with nets to “catch” opponents or trampolines to advance their own position.

Therefore, a general object of this invention is to provide a method of modifying a standard game and a resulting modified game that uses team mascots as the players.

Another object of this invention is to provide a method and resulting modified game, as aforesaid, that includes at least one supplemental game piece that is in some way related to a first mascot.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a method and resulting modified game, as aforesaid, that includes reducing the size of a standard playing area, amending at least one game rule, and adding supplemental game pieces.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein is set forth by way of illustration and example, embodiments of this invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a method of a modified game according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an isolated view on an enlarged scale taken from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is another isolated view as in FIG. 2 from a reverse angle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of a supplementary game piece as in FIGS. 2 and 3;

FIG. 5a is a side view of another supplementary game piece according to the present invention;

FIG. 5b is a sectional view taken along line 5b-5b of FIG. 5a;

FIG. 6a is a perspective view of another supplementary game piece according to the present invention;

FIG. 6b is a sectional view taken along lines 6b-6b of FIG. 6a;

FIG. 7a is a perspective view of another supplementary game piece according to the present invention;

FIG. 7b is a sectional view taken along lines 7b-7b of FIG. 7a;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another supplementary game piece according to the present invention;

FIG. 9 is a side view of the supplementary game piece as in FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of a modified game ball according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

A method of modifying a standard game and a resulting modified game will now be described in detail with reference to FIG. 1 through FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings. More particularly, a method of modifying a standard game includes the step of replacing participants with mascots 100. While the standard game could be almost any game or contest (e.g., football, basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, wrestling, track & field, tennis, table tennis, volleyball, etc.,) the embodiment set forth in detail in FIGS. 1 through 3 and FIG. 10 of the accompanying drawings is based on the standard game of football. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the principles and steps set forth herein can be used for other games or contests as well.

The mascots 100 may be, for example, mascots of schools (e.g., universities, colleges, high schools, etc.) and/or mascots of sports teams (e.g., professional sports teams, semi-professional sports teams, etc.). In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a plurality of one type of mascot 100 (e.g., Trojans 100a) comprise one team and a plurality of another type of mascot 100 (e.g., bears 100b) comprise another team. In other embodiments, various mascots make up each team. For example, mascots from a particular conference or division (e.g., Atlantic Coast Conference, Big 12, Big East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Pacific-10, Sun Belt Western Athletic Conference, American Football Conference, National Football Conference, American League, National League, etc.) may make up one team, and mascots from another conference or division may make up the other team.

As shown in FIG. 1, the size of a playing area for the standard game (e.g., a football field 110, basketball court, etc.) may be reduced. The football field shown in FIG. 1 has a length of thirty yards (plus the two end zones), compared to a standard football field of one hundred yards (plus the two end zones). In addition, one or more rule of the standard game may be amended. The amendment may relate to game play (i.e., what can or cannot be done during the game) or game setup (i.e., equipment, how long the game lasts, etc.). For example, the size of a goal for the standard game (e.g., goal posts 112, a basketball hoop, etc.) may be increased, as shown in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, a ball 114 (FIGS. 3 and 10), or a puck or other game piece, may be made larger than that of the standard game to compensate for reduced mobility and dexterity of the mascots 100 compared to the participants of the standard game. To further compensate for the reduced mobility and dexterity of the mascots 100, the ball 114 or other game piece may include at least one grip feature that is absent in the standard game. As shown in FIG. 10, for example, rubber grip strips 114a may be included.

In modifying the standard game, at least one mascot 100 is provided with a supplemental game piece 120 that is absent in the standard game, and the mascot 100 is allowed to use the supplemental game piece 120 in the modified game. In a currently preferred embodiment, at least some of the supplemental game pieces are related to the mascots 100. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the Trojans 110a have swords 120a, shields 120b, and spears 120c, and the bears 100b have traps 120d. Allowing the mascot(s) 100 to use the supplemental game piece(s) 120 may include allowing the supplemental game piece(s) 120 to be used to impede movement of at least one other mascot 100 (i.e., a mascot 100 on an opposing team) and/or allowing the supplemental game piece(s) 120 to be used to enhance movement of the mascot(s) 100. The swords 120a, shields 120b, spears 120c, and traps 120d, for example, may be used to impede movement, while trampolines 120e (FIGS. 2, 8, and 9) and other supplemental game pieces 120 may be used to enhance movement. The sword 120a (FIGS. 5a and 5b), shield 120b (FIG. 4), spear 120c (FIGS. 6a and 6b), and trap 120d (FIGS. 7a and 7b), as well as other supplemental game pieces 120, may include padding 125 for safety.

Once the standard game is modified, as set forth above, the mascots 100 may play the modified game according to the modified rules. In some embodiments, the mascots 100 are people dressed in costume, while in other embodiments the mascots 100 are computer animations (i.e., video games). It is further anticipated that games between mascots may be featured in television commercials, regular weekly television shows, or other media productions.

It is understood that while certain forms of this invention have been illustrated and described, it is not limited thereto except insofar as such limitations are included in the following claims and allowable functional equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a standard game having rules and a playing area to create a modified game, said method comprising the steps of:

using mascots as players;

reducing a size of said playing area;

amending at least one said rule;

providing a first said mascot with a supplemental game piece that is absent in said standard game, said supplemental game piece being related to said first mascot; and

allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said standard game has a goal, and wherein said method further comprises the step of increasing a size of said goal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said standard game has a ball, and wherein said method further comprises at least one of:

(a) the step of increasing a size of said ball; and

(b) the step of adding a grip feature to said ball.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece includes allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece to impede movement of at least one other said mascot.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said step of allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece includes allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece to enhance movement of said first mascot.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said standard game is selected from the group consisting of football, basketball, baseball, and softball.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece includes allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece to impede movement of at least one other said mascot.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece includes allowing said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece to enhance movement of said first mascot.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said standard game is selected from the group consisting of football, basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, wrestling, track & field, tennis, table tennis, and volleyball.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said supplemental game piece is selected from the group consisting of a sword, a shield, a spear, a trap, and a trampoline.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said sword, shield, spear, and trap are padded.

12. A modified game, comprising:

a plurality of mascots;

a playing area;

at least one supplemental game piece related to a first said mascot; and

rules adapted from a standard game, one adaptation being the allowance of said first mascot to use said supplemental game piece to impede movement of at least one other said mascot or enhance movement of said first mascot.

13. The modified game of claim 12, wherein said standard game is selected from the group consisting of football, basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, wrestling, track & field, tennis, table tennis, and volleyball.

14. The modified game of claim 12, wherein said mascots are one of:

(a) people dressed in costume; and

(b) computer animations.

15. The modified game of claim 12, wherein said standard game has a goal and a ball, and wherein:

said modified game has a goal that is larger than said standard game goal;

said modified game has a ball that is larger than said standard game ball; and

said modified game ball includes at least one grip feature that is absent in said standard game ball.

16. The modified game of claim 15, wherein said standard game has a playing area, and wherein said modified game has a playing area that is smaller than said standard game playing area.

17. The modified game of claim 16, wherein said supplemental game piece is selected from the group consisting of a padded sword, a padded shield, a padded spear, a padded trap, and a trampoline.

18. The modified game of claim 12, wherein said supplemental game piece is selected from the group consisting of a sword, a shield, a spear, a trap, and a trampoline.

19. The modified game of claim 18, wherein said mascots are one of:

(a) people dressed in costume; and

(b) computer animations.

20. The modified game of claim 19, wherein said mascots are selected from school mascots and mascots of sports teams.