By Aidan York '24

Data Compilation and Design

• The first step to creating a data-based game was finding and selecting data. I picked seven questions that people might have about each energy source, and found answers to them. For some, the data was easily accessible, while others involved connecting data from across multiple sheets with calculations to obtain values. The seven facts about each energy source are:

• For each energy question, the "best" energy source's value (lowest for CO2 emissions, highest for contribution to US energy budget) was highlighted in green, while the "worst" was highlighted in red. Tied values were given the same color. The data table, as included in the game, is depicted below.

Gameplay Rules

• Each player picks either coal, oil, or nuclear energy, which are represented by small pieces of anthracite, sandstone, and sulfur respectively (sulfur was chosen due to its bright yellow color, not due to any scientific significance). They are depicted below.
• Beginning with oil, each player rolls a six-sided die, and moves forward that number.
• Should a player land on a colored square, they should examine the corresponding colored column on the data chart (below). If their energy source is green, they can move forward one space. If their energy source is red, they must move back one space. A white space means no movement in either direction.
• Oil moves first, followed by coal, then nuclear energy, due to the difference in number of green values for each energy source.
• The first player to reach FINISH! wins!

Board Design

• The board was designed to place a blank space between each colored data space, with the FINISH! space being 16 away from the start. With some lucky rolls and good data luck, the game may be over rather quickly.
• It even folds up like a proper board game board!
• The full board is pictured below.

Bibliography