Mission Earth, the environmental board game from last year’s Young Enterprise company, Cosmic, is now on sale in the shops. They sold 50 games in the run up to and during Open Evening. It is available on Amazon and in leading toy shops in Oxford but check first in case it has again sold out. The girls who designed it gave a signed first edition copy to the school that is displayed, along with Young Enterprise trophies, in a new glass cabinet in reception.
This exciting game has a review below.
Mission Earth – the race is on to save the planet!
Recently, we were sent a new board game to review (I do love surprise parcels!).
Mission Earth is a brand new board game from Gibsons for 2011 that’s fun, informative and also highlights the issues of global warming and the importance of looking after our planet.
Even more impressive, is that Mission Earth is the brainchild of a group of school girls from Oxfordshire, who as part of the Young Enterprise Scheme, designed a board game for children that’s not only great fun to play, but will also raise awareness for an issue close to their hearts.
‘It’s not all doom & gloom! Mission Earth may be a race against time to prevent an impending environmental disaster, but the race is challenging and exciting too!’
The game is set 100 years in the future on a polluted Earth where you, young Earth Heroes with special powers, must save the planet. Negotiate the spiral path through space with a simple throw of a dice. Brings the message home that we must act now to save our planet! To continue on your quest, players must answer one of the 322 questions from the Chance, Action and Question categories and with topics ranging from recycling to wildlife, energy saving and greenhouse gases, players will learn interesting facts along the way.
‘The game also incorporates a special team play element where players can work in groups and use their correct answers to help another member reach the all-important finish line, Earth. This additional element not only supports co-operative play, but emphasises that children achieve more when they work together.’
The game is great fun – I did wonder if my children would be interested, but they thoroughly enjoyed playing have actually said that it’s ‘really cool’. High praise from two ‘tweens’, I reckon!
One of the things I really like about it is that it does indeed, ‘practise what it preaches’, and the game is to be manufactured in the UK with the playing surface being created from the box, ensuring no extra packaging is required. The board folds up into a box shape, and the smaller pieces and cards are placed inside, then slid into a cardboard sleeve. This guarantees a smaller carbon footprint and the potential for future carbon saving if kids learn how to save energy for their own futures!
All in all, a really lovely game and if the kids enjoy playing, and it’s educational too, then it gets a thumbs up from me.
