How did the milton bradley operation game work?

Question

my brother wants to know if the original version actually sent a current of electricity.

Answer 1

I don't think it sent a current of electricity.  In fact, I think that the "body" shook/vibrated really loudly (like a cell phone but imagine a large plastic box instead) which in turn startled the player.  It also made some type of noise which further startled the loser.

Answer 2

Dear ctothedog,

You are so thoughtful to seek out information to help your brother better understand things.  He is lucky to have you watching out for him.  Keep up your thoughtfulness and you will go far in this world.  

Now for your questions:

First, to answer your brother's question about the original Milton Bradley version of Operation actually sending a current of electricity.  The first production of the Operation game (invented by John Spinello) was in 1965 and like all the following versions, it uses "D Cell" batteries to send a current of electricity under the game board through a metal plate, through wires that connect to the tweezers, and through the metal tweezers which act as a wire too.

Second, when removing body parts, if the tweezers in this game touch the metal edges of any opening on the game board (the metal edges being connected to a metal plate under the game board), a buzzer sounds and the patient's nose will light up red.  This happens because the metal tweezers are connected to a wire as is the metal edge of the opening (which is connected to the metal plate under the board) and the two connecting acts as a single wire and does what is called "closing the circuit."  By the way, as you probably know, the player doing this loses their turn.

I am sending my best  to you and your brother.

Don

PS:  You and your brother might enjoy browsing the 1000s of games we have at the Game Closet Network (see link below) if you have curiosity about other games.

Answer 3

There is current involved, although the player does not receive any of it. The game vibrates, and that is what the player feels.

It's a simple electronic principle of completing the circuit.

The board has, say the positive end of the circuit, supplied from the battery. The tweezers, which are connected by wire to the board, and the circuit, are connected to the negative end of the circuit. When the tweezers touch the metal edges of the 'holes' where the items are removed from, the circuit is complete, thereby lighting up the nose and shaking the board.

Answer 4

It took batteries, It buzzed loud and the guys nose lit up. How long ago did your brother think it was invented? LOL.

Answer 5

Each of the holes for the 'organs' were rimmed with metal connected into the internal circuitry of the game board. The removal tweezers also was wired into the board. If, when trying to remove one of the game pieces, you touched the side of the hole with the probe, that completed an electric circuit which caused the patient's nose to light up and the buzzer to sound.