"Fortune Condom" Topic

ALARMED by numerous social-media posts singing the praises of teenagers getting pregnant prematurely, five schoolgirls spent two years developing a board game called Fortune Condom…

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Or you could hand each of the kids a d6 and have them roll. Ask if anybody rolled a 1. When these raise their hands, say, "Congratulations. Your condom failed. You have just been potentially exposed to syphillus, gonorrhea, herpes, genital warts, and HIV. If you are female, roll a die. If you roll anything other than a 1 this time, you're pregnant. If you're male, roll the die. On the same roll, you are now a father and subject to laws regarding paternity and financial child support. Hope you have a good job.
Everyone else, roll again for your second time having sex."

This dice "game" actually reflects the average failure rate of typical government-issue condoms when used correctly. Note, of course, that this game is for people who actually use condoms. If you rely on other forms of birth control, the likelihood of pregnancy is dependent on how effectively the birth control is used. Did the teenage girl remember to take that pill every day for 30 days or not? (If you're unsure on this, ask yourself "did she remember to do her homework last night?" Probably the same likelihood of a "yes.") Also, with other methods STD exposure is an automatic result.

"Government-issue condoms" – I assume better ones are available? Does the game recommend using better ones? I think for 25 bhat your odds improve from 1 in 6 to 1 in 10 or better, depending on how well you follow instructions. Including storage instructions.

This is neat, really great, but if a boardgame can reduce the rate of teens having sex I will be surprised. But even if it only helps a handful that's I'mportant.

I await the review on boardgamegeek.com

The dice game is mine. No relation to the game in the article. The 1 in 6 failure rate is based on testing of condoms offered by the US government in distribution programs. But don't worry. I'm sure they've switched to a higher bidder.

Oh, and yes, you can buy condoms fairly cheaply, and they are the most effective form of birth control, and they are the only form which also protects against STDs (and therefore the only form truly protective of women's health in any degree). But not always on either. Roll the dice, kiddo. Roll the dice.