Monopoly Goes Digital: Is Paper Money a Thing of the Past?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the introduction of a new digital version of Monopoly by Hasbro, which eliminates paper money and traditional dice, raising questions about the impact on gameplay and the overall experience of the game. Participants express nostalgia for the classic version and debate the implications of these changes on learning and engagement, as well as the cultural significance of the game.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express disappointment over the removal of paper money, arguing that handling cash was a significant part of the Monopoly experience.
  • Others question the educational value of the new version, suggesting that it deprives children of opportunities to practice math skills.
  • A few participants highlight the nostalgic aspects of the game, recalling personal experiences with family members and the traditional rules that often differ from official ones.
  • Some comments reflect on the broader implications of technology in games, suggesting that reliance on digital systems may lead to a more passive gaming experience.
  • Several participants humorously note the notorious length of Monopoly games and the common experience of never actually finishing a game.
  • One participant references a historical context of Monopoly, discussing a specific version created in a ghetto during the Holocaust, emphasizing the game's cultural significance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally express a mix of nostalgia and concern regarding the changes to Monopoly, with no clear consensus on whether the new version is an improvement or a detriment to the game. Disagreements exist about the value of digital versus traditional gameplay.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention that the original version of Monopoly will still be available, indicating a potential for both versions to coexist. There are also references to personal experiences that highlight the subjective nature of gameplay and enjoyment.

Who May Find This Useful

Readers interested in board game design, educational value of games, cultural history of games, and those nostalgic for traditional gameplay may find this discussion relevant.

  • #31


You know what... we should enact some of those "blasphemy laws", but to protect cultural heritage. I have to say, my reaction is that I hope somewhere the Monopoly Man is real, aging... and in his rage at hearing this news makes a statement of, ""What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by [These idiot marketing execuitves]?"... with all of the predictable results.
 
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  • #32


nismaratwork said:
You know what... we should enact some of those "blasphemy laws", but to protect cultural heritage. I have to say, my reaction is that I hope somewhere the Monopoly Man is real, aging... and in his rage at hearing this news makes a statement of, ""What miserable drones and traitors have I nourished and brought up in my household, who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by [These idiot marketing execuitves]?"... with all of the predictable results.

He said that very thing about all of the ignorant players that decided on their own, in clear violation of the written rules included in each box, to add the stupid rule that money should go into the Free Parking space. That was a rule invented by players that knew they had no chance to win on brains and cunning alone and had to twist the game so that the winner would be decided by nothing more than luck.

Usually, the same players wanting money in Free Parking were also completely unable to understand a simple agreement where we could sell our Get Out of Jail free card back and forth to each other as a legal means to share rent - a tactic that greatly greases the skids towards trading property between players and avoids the eternal stalemate that develops when no players are able to get monopolies.

And what's this BS about the bank never running out of money, anyway?! What kind of lesson is that?! No wonder our generation had rampant inflation! At least Monopoly had housing shortages. It was a great tactic to leave 4 houses on all of your properties just to prevent anyone from building up on their properties unless they bought your Get Out of Jail Free card for about $3000 to encourage you to go ahead and buy hotels. Plus it prevented the entire economy of the game from crashing due to a housing bubble.

Or maybe the whole problem was that younger siblings vs older child relationship. The fact that I was the essential child and that they were just spares in case something bad happened to me created resentment in them and they always seemed to avoid trading with me.
 
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  • #33


BobG said:
He said that very thing about all of the ignorant players that decided on their own, in clear violation of the written rules included in each box, to add the stupid rule that money should go into the Free Parking space. That was a rule invented by players that knew they had no chance to win on brains and cunning alone and had to twist the game so that the winner would be decided by nothing more than luck.

Usually, the same players wanting money in Free Parking were also completely unable to understand a simple agreement where we could sell our Get Out of Jail free card back and forth to each other as a legal means to share rent - a tactic that greatly greases the skids towards trading property between players and avoids the eternal stalemate that develops when no players are able to get monopolies.

And what's this BS about the bank never running out of money, anyway?! What kind of lesson is that?! No wonder our generation had rampant inflation! At least Monopoly had housing shortages. It was a great tactic to leave 4 houses on all of your properties just to prevent anyone from building up on their properties unless they bought your Get Out of Jail Free card for about $3000 to encourage you to go ahead and buy hotels. Plus it prevented the entire economy of the game from crashing due to a housing bubble.

Or maybe the whole problem was that younger siblings vs older child relationship. The fact that I was the essential child and that they were just spares in case something bad happened to me created resentment in them and they always seemed to avoid trading with me.

YES! Still... all valuable lessons, and something that pretty much everyone here seems to share regardless of age and background! Anyway, he's old and he doesn't have great vision, so we have to respect that while the old fellow is resistant to ALL change, blind squirrels.. nuts.. broken clocks... you get the idea. :-p

Ohhh... where are some unstable and violent people when you need them?! Let's import the Iranian Parliament to chant "execute them!" slogans outside of Hasbro. We shouldn't MEAN them, but can you imagine the reaction to a bunch of angry people aged 4+ :wink: chanting death slogans in Persian. Still... there seem to be distinct downsides to any attempts to retard "progress", but if this is progress, hmmmph.

Frankly I wouldn't be shocked if this is an attempt to get new customers, AND at the same time, sell tons of older sets to people who don't want to be stuck with the new one.


OH yeah... and free-parking is key... take that away and let's just play "who rolls the higher number" on the dice.
 
  • #34


nismaratwork said:
OH yeah... and free-parking is key... take that away and let's just play "who rolls the higher number" on the dice.

But if you put money in Free Parking, then you're essentially playing "Let's see who gets tossed in jail most often" (since the person going to jail most often usually lands on Free Parking most often). What kind of lesson is that?!
 
  • #35


BobG said:
But if you put money in Free Parking, then you're essentially playing "Let's see who gets tossed in jail most often" (since the person going to jail most often usually lands on Free Parking most often). What kind of lesson is that?!

Monopoly. :smile:
 
  • #36


People banned me from doing the 4 houses trick as I always did it. It's a fairly cheap move, like being Eddy in Tekken 3.

The reason I loved Monopoly becuase you could make up your own rules. It was that adaptability that made the game interesting, and the whole reason people don't get bored of it.

Monopoly on Hard mode:
We had a no cash (or low nominal sum) starting game. It was essentially a race around the board (double money if you landed on go). No free parking money.
 
  • #37


xxChrisxx said:
People banned me from doing the 4 houses trick as I always did it. It's a fairly cheap move, like being Eddy in Tekken 3.

The reason I loved Monopoly becuase you could make up your own rules. It was that adaptability that made the game interesting, and the whole reason people don't get bored of it.

Monopoly on Hard mode:
We had a no cash (or low nominal sum) starting game. It was essentially a race around the board (double money if you landed on go). No free parking money.

Wow... that's hard-core. :biggrin: Did you guys drink black coffee and eat brown bread with pickles while doing it? I just have to get a sense for, what to me, sounds like a desperate and joyless scene.

Still, isn't that the fun of Monopoly? It's all Shadenfreude, "gin blossoms, and spite." :-p edit: It's the point Tolstoy made... although I may be altering this slightly:

"Happy [games of Monopoly] are all alike; every unhappy [game of Monopoly] is unhappy in its own way." (Sort of Anna Karenina)
 
  • #38


nismaratwork said:
Wow... that's hard-core. :biggrin: Did you guys drink black coffee and eat brown bread with pickles while doing it? I just have to get a sense for, what to me, sounds like a desperate and joyless scene.

Still, isn't tha the fun of Monopoly? It's all Shadenfreude, "gin blossoms, and spite." :-p

What's wrong with black coffee, brown bread, and pickles? For us, this was a game played by 7 kids trapped in a house together by horrid weather. Torment (for the others) counted towards those invisible, yet more important, victory points.
 
  • #39


BobG said:
What's wrong with black coffee, brown bread, and pickles? For us, this was a game played by 7 kids trapped in a house together by horrid weather. Torment (for the others) counted towards those invisible, yet more important, victory points.

Because it's VODKA, BLACK bread... an pickles. You're talking to someone who's half Russian... I have no issue with that. It was just meant to conjure an image, not be a literal description. :biggrin:

Heck, I like MASTIC gum... yeah... not sugary stuff either, straight gum from Chios Mastica. I'm also not arguing against Shadenfreude, or spite, in fact, that's my entire point. You need that freedom to make Monopoly the entertaining hellscape that it is!
 
  • #40


jtbell said:
Hasbro is introducing a new version of the classic Monopoly game that has the familiar houses, hotels and title deed cards, but no paper money. A computer sitting in the middle of the board keeps track of players' money and rolls virtual dice for you, telling you what to do via its speaker.

No Dice, No Money, No Cheating. Are You Sure This Is Monopoly? (NY Times)
Now if they add, subprime mortgages, interest-only, ARMs, MBSs, RMBSs, CMBS, ABSs, CDSs, CDOs, CLOs, CDO2s, and hedge funds, they'd have a real game.
 
  • #41


Astronuc said:
Now if they add, subprime mortgages, interest-only, ARMs, MBSs, RMBSs, CMBS, ABSs, CDSs, CDOs, CLOs, CDO2s, and hedge funds, they'd have a real game.

'The Game of Life'... "Real World Edition". :-p
 
  • #42


nismaratwork said:
'The Game of Life'... "Real World Edition". :-p

A game I DO NOT want to play :D
 
  • #43


Astronuc said:
Now if they add, subprime mortgages, interest-only, ARMs, MBSs, RMBSs, CMBS, ABSs, CDSs, CDOs, CLOs, CDO2s, and hedge funds, they'd have a real game.
And aside from the banker, every player would lose. Hmmm... I think I recognize that game.
 
  • #44


Greg Bernhardt said:
A game I DO NOT want to play :D

Agreed, and yet... here we are! Lucky lucky us, huh? :crys:
 
  • #45


xxChrisxx said:
... the 4 houses trick...
When I played with my siblings, we allowed houses on top of hotels (and added their rent together). One time someone even got up to two hotels on their property. fun!
 
  • #46


BobG said:
Torment (for the others) counted towards those invisible, yet more important, victory points.

:smile::smile::smile:
 
  • #47


At least Settlers of Cataan is still a board game.

And always interesting since the board is set up randomly. There is no single strategy you can use over and over.
 
  • #48


BobG said:
At least Settlers of Cataan is still a board game.

And always interesting since the board is set up randomly. There is no single strategy you can use over and over.

True! It's gained some new popularity on console gaming as well, although I for one prefer the board game.
 
  • #49


The best property is yellow/green and if you can get it red. If you own yellow/green the game is over, so long as you can afford to maintain some houses or hotels on them without having to sell them back.

@the op... kind of sad, I think. I remember playing monopoly with my parents and being the banker. It teaches you a lot imo.
 
  • #50


BobG said:
But if you put money in Free Parking, then you're essentially playing "Let's see who gets tossed in jail most often" (since the person going to jail most often usually lands on Free Parking most often). What kind of lesson is that?!

I always envisioned Free Parking as rampant government corruption. The bastard with the most get out of jail free cards has the biggest chance of taking all the tax payers money.

zomgwtf said:
The best property is yellow/green and if you can get it red. If you own yellow/green the game is over, so long as you can afford to maintain some houses or hotels on them without having to sell them back.

Wrong. Orange wins. DONE.
 
  • #51


This makes me sad. When I was a kid we played the game so that if the owner of whatever property you landed on doesn't ask for rent you don't have to pay. So I usually got monopolies by trading free rent rights on certain properties. Our games rarely went longer than 6 hours though. Now Risk is a game which takes potentially months to complete with competent players.

One good thing about this change is If I ever have to play this game with my grandparents again, they couldn't just get bored and give away all their property to someone (still won but took much longer).
 
  • #52


I just realized... it's pretty hilarius that the thread about Monopoly is pretty hostile. I mean, not so much to each other, but it kind of feels like... Monopoly. :biggrin:

#50 reminds me especially, and I mean that a pure complent Pengwuino!
 
  • #53


[PLAIN]http://cdn.uberreview.com/wp-content/uploads/monopoly-board.png
 
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  • #54


There is only one solution. Rob a train!
 
  • #55


Kurdt said:
There is only one solution. Rob a train!

I'm in... but only if I get the nickname, "Fats". (Trumpet... and fat!) I've always wanted to be part of a "nickname" gang. I so envy those gentlemen of Italian descent who recently were taken in... now THOSE were nicknames... :wink: