Monday, September 10, 2007

Why?


Is it just me or is this definitely not a sign of progress?

It may be hard to tell from this picture - but this is the newest version of Monopoly. The gimick - there's no money. Everything is done on your "Visa" debit card. How does this annoy me? Let me count the ways:

1. I think board games are a fantastic way for kids to learn - they start out learning to take turns, learning to be gracious winners and good losers, they learn counting, reading, logic, and yes - MATH skills.

2. Aren't we enough trouble as a credit-card dependent society? How many people are living beyond their means? The average American household carries $8,000 in credit card debt. Granted, I don't believe the game allows you to "spend" money you don't have - but the concept scares me.

3. As a kid - being the "Banker" in the Monopoly game was an honor that always went to the oldest child. Being the youngest, I never got to be banker unless I was playing with friends - not family. Where is that right of passage going to go - if you're just sliding a card through a machine?

Now, I haven't seen the game in person, and I don't really know how it works. My outrage is based on a commercial and a reading of the game description. Not enough to be considered an expert- but I never claimed to be.

I can, however, safely say that I will not be buying a copy of this game - with cash or credit.

2 comments:

alienbody said...

Uh oh...sounds like someone isn't keep up with progress!! ;-)

Chickenbells said...

Dang girl...we are living parallel lives (see my post today...) only a little different...

It's little things like this that are the reasons I'm glad I don't play Monopoly...