The mega game company Hasbro recently announced a new twist on the classic board game, updated for these very modern times. It is called “Monopoly for Millennials,” joining other special editions, including Monopoly: Fortnite Edition, Monopoly: National Parks Edition, and Monopoly Gamer Mario Kart, and while it seems like a joke, it is apparently real, in that it exists as an object you can buy exclusively at Walmart for less than $20. Well, you could buy it at Walmart. According to the Walmart website, it is currently sold out.
Back in the early 1900’s, you know, the dark ages, when the game was first developed, the point was to illustrate the evils of monopolies, a detail that has gotten lost as people passed Go over the decades as people delighted in building hotels and bankrupting their enemies. But with this new game, the point is that you enjoy experiences, rather than buying real estate, or as the box states, “Forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway.” Snarky board game humor?
Instead of buying railroads with fake money, you buy and trade “the hottest destinations,” which range “from your friend’s couch to the vegan bistro to a week-long meditation retreat,” using “experience points” instead of imitation bills. CNN reports, “Players are encouraged to find new places to eat, shop and relax and to become involved in community interactions via the Chance and Community Chest cards.” Is avocado toast on the menu?
“With many of us being Millennials ourselves, we understand the seemingly endless struggles and silly generalizations that young Millennials can face (and we can’t even!), so we created the game to provide fans with a lighthearted experience that allows Millennials to take a break from real life and laugh at the relatable experiences and labels that can sometimes be placed on them,” Hasbro said in an email statement.
While some Millennials feel that Hasbro’s attempt to try and profit from their reality is, “out of touch,” and kind of insulting, Others are perfectly okay with it, saying, “Millennial angst is a great commodity. It’s great to see that enterprising Hasbro is cashing in on this unlimited natural resource.”
The problem is not that Millennials can’t take a joke. The problem is, that the joke is not that good. But hey, Walmart sold out, so maybe Hasbro’s getting the last laugh here.
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