Monopoly Money Replaced With Monopoly Visa Debit Card
from the sign-o'-the-times dept
If you thought that Western Union killing off the telegram was a sign of an end of an era, how about the end of monopoly money (via Engadget)? Monopoly money, after all, is such an iconic concept that it is often used to denote any kind of fake (dot com stock certificates) or amusing (Canadian money) currency. However, it seems that term may fade away into history with the news that the Monopoly board game is apparently replacing the colorful cash with mock Visa cards (branded, no less), along with scanner devices that can be used to debit and credit the card. Perhaps this fits right in there with teaching 8-year-olds how to take on debt to finance an automobile purchase. Might as well teach kids how to use debit cards as well. Of course, for those who just can’t stand to be without the traditional Monopoly money, Hasbro still offers downloadable PDFs, so you can make your own.
Comments on “Monopoly Money Replaced With Monopoly Visa Debit Card”
evil
I’m disappointed that they didn’t immediately release “classic” monopoly.
On a second note, my kids will never play this version for two reasons.
First, I have tought them that the credit card companies are as evil as the tabacco companies. Both make addictive, self destructive products.
Second, the game lasts too long unless you can catch someone cheating as the banker 😉
Re: evil
Classic Monopoly already exists. I saw it in FAO Schwarz a week ago. It’s a reissue of the original 1935 game, with the original Chance and Community Chest cards and all that.
As for this upgrade, I don’t support it, and I imagine it will fail. It seems like such a gimmicky thing. How many board games have you seen with some electronic doodad included? How many of those are still around?
Re: Re: evil
I actaully like it, and i think that it will last. Have you not seen how many have got it already for their kids for christmas. Yeah there are some bad things about it. But still, who cares, they have way more bad stuff for kids to play. Like the play station games with killing, i am sure that teachs kids to kill people. Who cares its a credit card, its not like they are going to go out and get one when they are old enough!
Re: evil
What the hell man its just a game. I mean who cares if its a long game as long as you can enjoy it with others you love in your family or like as friends. I mean dont go all wierd over a game.
stupid idea
I think this is a crap idea! – the two main fun parts of playing monopoly was if you were winning you could hold all that paper money in you hands and ‘feel the wealth’, and if you were losing – well the fun was to try and knick money from the bankers stash without anyone noticing! – how can you do that with a plastic card! – also are the cards chip & pin?? – wouldn’t want anyone cloning my card or anything!
If they wanted to make the game more modern, then they should increase the cost of each of the properties by a couple of thousand instead!
Re: stupid idea
They already did with the MONOPOLY: HERE AND NOW EDITION. I didn’t care for it for the amount of money ruined the iconic feel of the game for me…http://www.hasbro.com/games/kid-games/monopoly/default.cfm?page=Products/Detail&product_id=17686
If that wasn’t enough, they’ve replaced Boardwalk!
“Mayfair - the most expensive property on the board.“
Re: oops
I didn’t notice Mayfair was for the UK version. Silly brits don’t have a boardwalk.
Corporate "Favors"
just how much do you guys think Visa is paying Hasbro for this? I mean, it’s gonna be one of the biggest marketing schemes on this and the next generation of kids (well, if it doesn’t die off in the first year or so) – every kid that plays the game (visa card version of the game, and that is if kids still play board games between now and the next 5 or 10 years) will have “Visa Credit cards” permanently etched into their subconcious…
Grar.
Not cool. Monopoly is all about whipping out several 500 dollar bills and saying “Gimme 3 hotels on the light blues!”
Now whatcha gonna do? Swipe your card and say “Yes, I’d like a 3 “Starbucks” on the blues!
:-p.
Branding and Commercialization sucks when it applies to our entertainment. Product Placement? Grar.
Re: Grar.
dont make sence!
Monopoly takes so long becuase kids now struggle to add numbers together, this will no doubt speed up the game becuase it will do the math for us.
Re: Re:
kids struggling to ADD & SUBTRACT is the point. and adults for that matter. games may be fun but I believe that you should always get something out of them. Monoploy helps kids make change, it can help if they are at a flea market or are working in Burger King.
Re: Re:
I thought one of the best things about playing monopoly was that kids could learn how to count different denominations of money and figure out how to give change. If you’re worried about speed of gameplay, your first mistake was probably playing any boardgame with a little kid…
Re: Raising a nation of morons
Kids SHOULD be doing the math. Practical application of the skills that they are taught in school is how they lern. Are you saying you would rather have your children grow up to be morons so long as it gets you through a game of Monopoly a little quicker?
Re: Re:
If kids are really “struggling to add numbers together,” why would you make it so they don’t even have to think about adding now. How about challenging the brain a little while we have fun. Thats one of the best parts of Monopoly. And even better, now the game is faster so kids’ attention spans can get even shorter. Yeah, this sounds like a great idea.
Re: Re:
yeah but it doing the math for them is not going to teach them anything!
Re: Re: Re:
Teenagers do not play games to teach us some crap that we’re gonna learn later in life anyways. WE PLAY TO HAVE FUN. We already have to go to a place 5 days a week for 6 to 7 hours a day to “learn”. It’s called school, and it’s sole purpose is to educate us. When we play a game, we don’t want to “learn” we just want TO PLAY THE DAMN GAME.
You won’t be able to cheat you little brother by trading him your 10 white bills for his 1 orange bill. And if you can’t cheat your little brother, why bother playing?
Bankrupt
Is VISA charging players 22% interest for every time they pass GO?
I just love digging around for batteries when I want to play board games twice a year!
I wonder if you haft to fill out a credit application for the card. LOL now my 12 year old cousin cant play this game with her friends anymore. 🙁
I play with my wife and her friends, go bank rupt you do a lapdance get money and continue the game.
Yipes
Whats next??? Politically Correct Guess Who??
well im not buying it, ill stick to the non frills one i have in my closet.
Ill see you on Boardwalk with a Hotel and fat stack of 500s.
Re: Yipes
Yipes by Scuba Steve on Jul 25th, 2006 @ 6:19am
Whats next??? Politically Correct Guess Who??
I know what’s next: Amber Alert for Carmen San Diego
no more deal making?
And now how are players supposed to pay rents and make side deals with others? You know, I’ll trade you my utility for Baltic (gotta love those deep purples with hotels) and throw in an extra $200.
Does every player have a POS to debit other player’s cards when collecting rent and Chance/Community Chest rewards?
Honestly, I think this was inevitable, however, I don’t like the fact that they’re using fake Visa cards. It should have been a fake credit card company too. We should not have to deal with sales gimmicks while trying to play family boardgames. I also think that it would be better to stay with the money, but I do understand that if the games don’t change to reflect the culture we live in, they won’t sell nearly as well. I’m sure lots of people (who don’t read this website) will love the new version. But on the flipside, there is the thing about teaching kids math and stuff. Both sides have valid gripes. In the end, it’s all a matter of personal preference. While math is important, it’s also important to teach kids about managing credit, since it plays such a big role in our society today. And no, credit card companies are NOT evil like the tobacco companies. Well, maybe in some ways, but you can’t hold them responsible for your own stupidity if you go overboard with your spending. I have three credit cards, only one of which I use on a regular basis, and I always pay off my balance at the end of every month, never accumulating whopping huge interest fees. Because of that, they keep raising my credit limits, and I now have close to $20,000 worth of credit between the three cards. Do I go out and buy a new car or a new home theater of system? Of course not, because there’s no money in the bank to back it up. Credit is not free money, and young kids need to understand that, so I don’t think this new version of Monopoly is all that bad.
Re: Re:
I kinda agree with the idea. Credit is a dangerous thing if you don’t understand it. And companies prey on people that don’t understand what they are getting into with a credit card. Thankfully my own lesson with them only cost me $1000.
And no, credit card companies are NOT evil like the tobacco companies. Well, maybe in some ways, but you can’t hold them responsible for your own stupidity if you go overboard with your spending.
Actually I think they are just as evil. You can’t hold them anymore resposible for your ungodly debt than you can blame cigarrette companies for lung cancer (well the cases in recent years mind you). Even secondhand smoke (consequences that you suffer from the actions of others) can be compared to identity theft. But I assume you mean that cigs put your life in danger whereas credit doesn’t.
Yeah… well wait till we all pay for everything with the chips embedded in our arms in real life…
Think of the possibilities for games like monopoly- no more cash OR credit cards to lose- to play the game you just swipe your arm over the board with the embedded computer chip that is the monopoly game.
– will be cool until the game malfunctions and tells everyone about your medical records- grandma would love to hear about the herpies you got in ’97.
next step
The next release from Hasbro will undoubtedly be a toy version of bankruptcy court. Complete with little briefcase-toting sharks in suits to represent the lawyers. And maybe Judge Judy presiding.
” It should have been a fake credit card company too.”
Why? most of the Visas used to get the terrorists in the country are fake too….
Re: Reality Check
“Quote by Reality Check”Why? most of the Visas used to get the terrorists in the country are fake too….
Ok,
This is my first post in a TechDirt article, but I could not pass up this oppourtunity to post.
To Reality Check: You do realize that there is a difference between VISA, as a company, and a visa that a foreign national would use to get into the country are two different things right?
VISA is a company that issues small plastic cards that are used to purchase items from stores or individuals with access to POS machines.
Visa’s on the other hand are small pieces of paper issued to a foreign individual from the government of the country they would like to visit that allows them to enter said country.
Now on to the article.
I agree with most of the other posters in here. I feel that Monopoly needs to be played with money. The feel of your side of the board rising 5″ or so off the ground and the bank empty of money and your brothers/sisters without cash and then landing on, name your favorite property, loaded with hotels, and having to end the game.
PRICELESS.
Re: Re: Reality Check
Learn to recognize a joke.
Re: Re: Reality Check
“You do realize that there is a difference between VISA, as a company, and a visa that a foreign national would use to get into the country are two different things right? ”
You have a dictionary? Look up the following words:
humor
sarcasm
commentary
snide
tongue-in-cheek
🙂
Monopoly game money changes
This game has been a part of my life for more than 50 years and am saddened that they are making such a major change.
As one of the comments here so aptly stated: It is the sweet taste of winning by holding the paper money in your hands.
Monopoly will never be the same. I must now preserve my first Monopoly game that I acquired in the early 1950’s.
Continue the trend
So maybe kids won’t get the arithmetic benifits out of monopoly anymore, but that was never the fun part. The fun part was when your budd who managed to skip your “all star property linup” (whatever your favorite is) ten times in a row. But with each passing turn you continued to build and finally he land on the big one an it pays off. Kids won’t learn how to add, subtract or make change, but they will learn basics of venture capitalism, loss leading, investments, futures, and general banking financial practice. $500 on a card is still worth $500 and it seems so few people still use cash. Why not let the kids have some fun with a fake visa. Maybe one of them will even get greedy and begin to experiment with modifying the cards. Víola, we got a great fraud criminal in the making.
I also agree that the card should have been a fake company. Hasbro is saving a whole lot of trees though. I wonder how many trees it takes to make a years worth of Monopoly money. At least they give us PDFs of the money.
Besides, if you go to Hasbro’s Monopoly website (http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/) you’ll notice that the card scanner is only in the LIMITED EDITION Monopoly: Here and Now game. Regular Monopoly and Original Monopoly (the old 30s one) are still availible. Monopoly: Here and Now is just a limited variation. It was made to represent Monopoly being invented today with modern tokens, modern money system, and inflated values.
“First, I have tought them that the credit card companies are as evil as the tabacco companies.”
Maybe you should just teach them self control, financial management, proper planning, and personal responsibility instead.. they’d be a lot better off that way.
credit cards are great.. just learn to pay them off on time.
Credit cards for monopoly? what is this world coming to. It is seriously begining to become a political brainwashing scheme. Like violent, strategic video games preparing young little boys to join the army and whatnot. What is that all about???
The point is monopoly is a classic game which we all grew up playing. It shouldn’t be changed to modern times. Little kids now should appreciate the goodness of an old fashioned game. I mean, there are silver diners and whatnot. It seems that old fashioned schemes are always being brought back.
As long as parents keep showing the games with their kids and brining them up to love the game we all do, things will stay the same, assuming they are not overtaken by video games.
Oh, and out of all the comments so far, I think i only saw 2 in 22 comments that were actually for this new version so i doubt it will stick.
It took until comment #22 until someone mentioned the paper savings. Which, I’m glad someone finally did. I don’t play Monopoly enough to care how the money system works, but I do remember that when I played – by the time we got the money sorted out before we started, no-one wanted to play anymore.
Re: Paper savings
Oh please. For the small amount of paper used in the paper money, how much more damage has been done by all of us having our PC’s on long enough to read and reply???
Monopoly is a great tool – giving basic math (and more advanced real world math with interest rates) in a fun way.
Parents need to spend time playing with and educating their children. ATM Monopoly takes away the math. Isn’t that a huge part of the fun?
And whilst I can see educational advantages to a credit card (lets face it – you can already mortgage and bankrupt in mooppoly!) I do not like this level of branding. What is next? The Viagra addition of ‘Operation!’?
Bad Idea
Another electronic gimmick for a game that doesn’t need one. at least this new version won’t replace the old. from the article they will be selling both side by side. why would you pay almost double the price for something that takes away from the fun and learning factor? although i’m sure some people will love this hopefully it won’t last long.
You're (mostly) All Wrong
I think this is great, I’m excited about it and I want one!!
First of all, this does NOT teach irresponsible spending, because these are not actually credit cards in the game but rather debit cards, from my understanding. You can’t spend money you don’t have, like you can with a credit card in real life.
Secondly, this teaches kids to learn to treat the number that represents their money as real money. It’s easy to see the value of 20 dollars when you’re holding it in your wallet in ones. But when its just a number, it can seem not as real when you’re blowing your cash using a debit card. This system is more and more prevelent nowadays. For example, I put my paychecks straight into the bank, and never really carry any cash these days.
And if you do want your kids to learn math, I’m sure the older versions will be around or you can print the money using the PDF from Hasbro. For the rest of us that already know our math and don’t want to hassle with all that cash, we don’t have to! I once played a bunch outdoors at a place I was working and that money would blow all over the place in the wind. And even indoors, counting it all out to each player in the beginning takes forever.
I do agree that maybe they should have made it a fake company instead of using Visa, but it probably helped keep the cost of that new technology being included with the game down.
New Version of Monoply = Dud
So Hasbro’s new version of monopoly will remove the monopoly money and change all the streets to make them “up to date”.
The old version of the game will still be available, and called “Monopoly Classic”, and I predict the Coke scenario will occur — where New Monopoly will die shortly.
Its about time
I think this is a great idea, for one reason, I am sick and tired of always finding monopoly money under the couch after every game, and also the pieces need magnets, because I am also tired of stepping on a battleship when I am cleaning my room, otherwise, this idea blows, like it was said earlier give me a fat stack of 500s anyday.
It's a DEBIT card -- like an ATM card!
This is not a credit card, it’s a debit card.
In other words, there’s no interest being charged and you can’t go into debt. Each player has a bank account and draws from the bank account to make purchases.
It’s a good way to teach kids how to use an ATM card and teach them that there is not an unlimited flow of money coming out of that ATM.
Re: It's a DEBIT card -- like an ATM card!
Finally, somebody said what I have been screaming in my head the entire time I was reading the comments. The debate about the evils of credit was pointless! Debit cards are actually pretty decent. I have a debit card, but no credit card. It is easier to handle than cash, so I don’t need a huge wallet shoved in my back pocket.
And I’m glad somebody pointed out that this was a seperate version of the game.
It doesn’t seem like an awful idea, although I do think it would have been better to use a fake company. I would hope that the debit card version would allow for the little changes most people add to the games- trading, Free Parking collections, etc… I assume it would- I think the “machine” is similar to a calculator- you enter numbers with a keypad.
It might be good lessons learned in keeping track of your account balance and financial management. Is there a web page to go to so one can see his/her bank balance?
How about loans to other players?
And the big stack of cash in the center one can get by landing on Free Parking (or is that a toll bridge now?).
Not being able to snatch bills from the banker or other players is the real world reason why there are plastic cards, and saving paper is a great thing, but what happens when the magntic strip wears out, or you lose the card? Is there a provision for identity theft?
This new version maybe more devious than we realize.
In Japan they use monopoly money, its so easy to spend when its fake… unfortunetly my bank at home pretended it was real money and took it from my account.
Hhhhmmm how can we bring publicity to an old game… oh I know, piss people off so they start talking about it and buy up all the ‘classic’ versions! Marketing is an ever changing market, and they are always ahead of us brain-dead consumers.
I cheated once, and my dumped the board… yeah I’m a cheater, but he’s a fricken QUITTER!!!
Now if we can just teach our kids to get an education with the intent of running their own business instead of working for someone else.
Woohoo.
BTW, just out of curiosity. Who all here learned to balance a checkbook in school? (outside of accounting).
Re: Re:
I agree, I don’t understand why you aren’t taught to balance a check book in school.
On to the game, are any of you investors in Hasboro? No, then shut up. They have a new target market, do you have any other answers that will help them sell more of their products. Because this is the best idea they had. I think it is a pretty good idea, better than any other post I saw with ideas. Oh, I forgot, this isn’t a message board, but a complaint department.
whoa
I’m amazed more people arent as concerned as i am that this means the end of cheating your friends at monopoly!
damn.
The success of the new Monopoly game...
…depends on one thing: SALES.
We can all hate it or not, but if it sells…there’s nothing we can do about it.
My personal opinion is this is a dumb idea, I hate it, and I will keep my original version for my children. I will not let them “play” with credit cards, letting them know that you should always pay with cash, or a debit card, and credit cards are only for dire emergencies.
I cheated at Monopoly once… it was the best real world experience I could have had.
Are the streets on the cheap side of the board renamed as low income street names? Skid Row, etc?
Changing with the times?????
Yeah right this is crap this has nothing to to with changing will the times its all about how big a check Visa wrote to the parker brothers yet another genius marketing move by visa
Version's
Ok even though hasbro are going to be releasing this edition of monopoly (the visa card) they will still be doing a normal paper money edition for all you people who like the paper money
in the uk the visa card edition will be around £24.99 while the normal paper money edition will cost £11.99
P.S I do not work for hasbro lol
Here & Now
Monopoly did a survey in the general public and asked our views on this new “limited Edition”. I think this is a great collectors item and has already done it’s job, (give Monopoly and Visa more publicity). It goes a lot deeper than what any one has mentioned. I have noticed from the comments that almost all the posters have not read the articles, so they have no idea what they are talking about.
Great idea that will only get better.
no life
wow…how much of a life dont you have that u post comments about being upset when a boardgame changes their money??
I THINK IT SOUNDS LIKE FUN dont bE SO CRITICAL
I hear they are adding another Chance card.
“You have been sanctioned by the Supreme Court. Surrender your property to the wealthiest player.”
hahahaha
i ahte this site i cnat even find a fake visa for my kids!!!
the idea from a teens point of view
ok, everybody i just read all of those comments about how u disagree with the whole idea of haveing monopoly be played using debit cards instead of the colorful paper money. well if u think that this idea will cause ur children not to learn how to be able to add and subltract money then u must know that most teens and kids dont no how to tell time correctly because they know how to read a digital clock. and u must no that ur kids dont always do the math in thier heads, they use calculators even in thier math classes. oh, and u must no that ur kids friends dont play monopoly when thecome over because they dont want to even think about math. i know all of that because i am a teenager and i have difficultes reading a reguler clock, i dont always but i do use a calculator to do math a lot, and when i first heard of this new version i wanted to play and own it and play it with all of my friends that hate playing monopoly becuase they hate doing math in thier heads outside of schoolwork/homework.
i own maybe 7 differernt editions of monopoly and everytime i play it takes an extra 5 minutes for everyone to do the math each time its thier turn so that they can figure out what the have for money.
im just wondering have any of you parents out thier ever ask ur kids about the whole idea? because if u did i beat u that they would want it
i no that some of u are agenst credit cards but its not a real credit card its a game piece. and those of u that r aginst cards have u ever relized how many grems u get on urself by just touching a dollor bill. right now think about it:
1. ur going shoping
2. u find something u like
3. so u buy ur new thing that cost $23.34 and since u dont like cards u use cash but all u have is a $50
4. so u ask for change
5. u get ur change (remember that money did not come straight from the money printing place, it came from someone elses pocket)
6. u put it in ur walet (remember u also touched it with ur hands)
7. u get hungry
8. u go to mcdonalds and get a hamberger with fries
9. u eat it with ur hands
now that whole senario u cant tell me u havent done, unless ur a vegitariane, and u dont wash ur hands becuase it doesnt even occur to u that u should since all u did was pay for something useing cash. well if u took the change to a lab and had them show u all the bactiria and fiesis (ya thats poop) on it then im sure that u would be very very grossed out. well the same thing can happen with monopoly money becuse kids dont always wash thier hands after their dont with the bathroom. so the cards a a better way to just keep the game clean and less gremy.
so why dont u like the idea of useing credit cards in monopoly? 1. it doesnt have any effect on the childrens math skills and if thats the one thing that wories u u can still bye the origonal virsion. 2. its extreamly fun for kids and easier! 3. its keeps ur kids from all the germs on the money. i gave u three reasons why i disagree with u and i know that there are more but i just dont know them. so, now u give me some logical reasons why this new virsion is horrible.
oh and about the cards bieng visa, WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT THAT ITS A NAME!!!!!! NO KIDS CARE WHAT BRAND IT IS THEY ONLY CARE IF THE GAME IS FUN!!!!!!!!
Great Idea
I think this is a great idea because it stops people cheating in the game and MONOPOLY should be more modern and for people that dont agree with me buy one of the original ones quick!
Thanks for all comments,which are helpful for me.I’ll pay attention on more comments. JACK – http://www.chinabboss.com
Well...
I was curious and bought the game and it turns out its not so bad, sure its fun waving those orange bills in our friends,families faces but some people should actually try this out.
Its good for a quick and effective game. but i think i will stick to the paper money version.
(For those concerned about the banker cheating, leave the Gismo in the middle of the board so that way everyone can see what amount they are putting in.)
well i think
its just become a f**king joke!
why airports, what wrong with stations!! why a phone, whats wrong with a top hat!! and do the hotels have to be that big?? and since when does a credit card start off with £15,000,000 on it! i want that credit card!
I was looking for some information on the monopoly edition with the credit card, and I get a “message board” full of comments on either how its great or how it sucks and it doesn’t teach us anything.
I am going to say that if you are arguing about how it doesn’t teach us anything or how it will brainwash today’s generation, leave it be. If you call us “today’s generation” you obviously aren’t part of it so why in the world would you care. You are going to die whether you like it or not and you are not going to be all that much effected by whether we play with paper money or a credit card.
Secondly, I would also like to say that the majority of teens actually like this game and would appreciate it if you would stop deciding for us whether we want to play the old fashioned or “original” version of monopoly that teaches us the value of money, or the new “high tech” version.
Thirdly, I would like to say that I understand the feeling of holding all of that money and maniacally laughing, but we also like the feeling of swiping that piece of plastic. If you like one or the other, than stick with it and quit trying to criticize the other one in order to validate your position because in reality, your opinion on a message board is not going to convince people to see it your way.