Just as its name implies, the Operation game allows the players to perform mock surgical operations on a patient without the blood, bone and gore. It is the electronic version of the wire loop electric game made popular at county fairs and novelty stores with the object of the game being the player must hoop a loop through a winding wire without either one touching the other or else a buzzing sound is activated.
Early Beginnings
The modern version was invented by John Spinello with production starting in 1965 and Operation has been popular with kids and adults alike since then. It was originally manufactured by Milton Bradley but has now been taken over by another popular game maker, Hasbro.
Its main appeal differs between parents and their children. On one hand, parents like Operation because it is a game of physical skills requiring excellent hand-eye coordination with fine motor skills thrown in. The fact that the game also teaches kids about basic parts of the body is a bonus.
On the other hand, the Operation game is popular among kids because it is great fun. One can watch as the patient’s red nose lights up with each mistake while also trying to avoid doing anything that will trigger the flashing red light yet again!
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Basic Components
The game is basic when it comes to parts. First, the operating table is lithographed with the funny likeness of the patient nicknamed Cavity Sam and characterized by his Rudolph-like nose. On Cavity Sam’s surface, there are many openings that show the fictional ailments requiring an operation, thus, the name of the game. In most models, the body organs were made from white plastic although green rubber is increasingly being used.
Second, the Operation game also includes 2 sets of cards – the Doctor and the Specialist. The latter of which is dealt to the players evenly at the start of the game. These cards are used as a scoring mechanism such that the winner is the player holding the most money when all of the pieces have been extracted.
Game Rules
The rules of the game are equally easy. Each player takes a turn to pick up a Doctor card with each one offering cash payment for the removal of whatever ailment is on the table. The removal itself is performed by using a pair of tweezers connected by wire to the board.
When the Doctor removes the ailment, he collects the cash amount shown on the card. But when the player fails to do so – the tweezers touch the opening’s metal edge, the buzzer sounds and Cavity Sam’s nose lights up – he loses a turn. The player who draws up the Specialist card for that particular ailment takes a turn but the cash prize is doubled. Indeed, the Operation game is a combination of physical skills and mental strategy as the Doctor can also hold the Specialist card just to get double the prize.
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Another appeal of the Operation board game is the wide variety of humorous ailments with various points. These include the Butterflies in the Stomach, Adam’s Apple, Funny Bone, Water on the Knee, Broken Heart, Spare Ribs, Charley Horse and Writer’s Cramp.
Indeed, if fun coupled with learning opportunities is the main goal of the parent in choosing a board game for a future doctor, then the Operation game is the best bet.
