No more jail in Monopoly?

[davidn3600]

Just as Monopoly fans come out of their mourning period for the dearly departed iron game token, Hasbro's tinkering with the formula again. And purists are likely to be outraged.

A new version of the game, Monopoly Empire, is tailored for the short attention span of today's youth. Among the changes? Plenty of real world brands to own -- and no pesky jail to slow things down.

The drastic -- and rather jaw-dropping -- changes are meant to make the game more appealing to younger children who don't have the patience for longer games, says Hasbro. Monopoly Empire is designed to be completed in as little as 30 minutes, a far cry from the marathon sessions that can take place with the original.

--

But no jail? That takes away an element that seems essential to the heart of the Monopoly experience. The risk of going to jail adds nearly as much stress in traditional Monopoly as landing on an opponent's hotel-adorned property and having to mortgage your own holdings, though it can also act as a reprieve for players when cash is low and people are approaching your "neighborhood."

http://games.yahoo.com/blogs/plugged-in/monopoly-getting-rid-jail-woo-kids-162424328.html

[orleans]

1. jeeze--maybe they should stop selling it altogether.

that would REALLY play into the short attention spans.

or just put a single card inside the box so when you open it up it simply says: YOU'RE A WINNER!

done!

[MiddleFingerMom]

4. That's how I've ALWAYS played.

[femmocrat]

12. LOL

When we were kids we called it "Monotony". Longest, most boring game we owned.

[SCantiGOP]

15. i was going to post 'Monotony' before you beat me to it

I remember my brother and I playing for hours almost every day one summer. One day I asked if he wanted to play, and he said he never wanted to play again. I thought about it and agreed.

[jakeXT]

6. John Oliver talked a bit about it

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023344422

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. Go directly to "Time Out"

Still stressful, but not so much. And it doesn't become part of your Permanent Record.

[grilled onions]

8. Seems odd when so many of today's game players

play very long marathon sessions of video games without a complaint about the length of time. Leave the game as it is for those who have the patience to go through the paces of a full game of Monopoly. This will only alienate true Monopoly fans and won't do enough for those who can't stay away from the cell phones for one trip around that grand Monopoly board.

[Bertha Venation]

9. This doesn't stop us "purists" from playing the original game.

[SCantiGOP]

16. with one exception

We never used the $1 bills and rounded everything off, which I wish I could do in the real world with pennies.

[Bertha Venation]

19. Agreed. n/t

[tabbycat31]

20. Sometimes we would turn the $1 bills into $1000 bills

[Iggo]

21. That's fricken genius.

I applaud you.

[pipi_k]

10. Screw jail!

Now you get to go to Rehab...

[femmocrat]

11. Who plays Monopoly anymore?

Who gives a flying fig?

[hunter]

13. In the socialist version of the game you change the rules so the game lasts forever.

Nice hotels all over the place, leisurely travels around the board for all the players, no worries about money, forever and ever.

It'd be nice if our world was more like that instead of the game.

Of course that was the point of the game's creator was trying to make. Sadly, we've been so indoctrinated by our monopolistic market economy that we march around the board following the rules thinking we're all going to be winners until we are beaten down into servitude.

[HappyMe]

14. Good grief!

Yet they will sit for hours and hours with PlayStation or on-line games.

[KamaAina]

17. Art imitates life

no jail for corporate banksters in the real world, either.

[nolabear]

18. There's already Monopoly Junior. I used to use it in kid therapy.

You learn a lot about a kid by playing a game that involves money, delayed gratification, being able to plot someone's demise, an icon you identify with, etc. It's fascinating how differently kids view things according to their development and the environment they're used to and what they think is right and wrong. But it doesn't take nearly as long to play.

Jail should stay. It's like taking the net out of tennis.