Monopoly for Millennials gamifies young people’s socioeconomic problems

Did you know that one of Hasbro’s most popular board games has anti-capitalist roots?

Patented in 1903 by Lizzie Magie, Monopoly was originally meant to draw on and critique the capitalist tendencies for competition and crushing enemies under the weight of one’s ever-growing stranglehold on the economy (their monopoly, if you will). Nearly everyone has donned the persona of a car, a shoe, or a hat to avoid jail and drive their friends into bankruptcy. However, some corporate higher-ups seem to fear that the game lost its touch with newer generations of players. As a result, the game has undergone a makeover with a timely twist that will make you both laugh and weep for your future.

Monopoly for Millenials is the newest edition of the classic board game, catering to adults under 30. The updated version was released after the results of Hasbro’s market research revealed that only 28 per cent of “younger players could identify the purpose of a thimble outside the context of the game,” and only 15 per cent could conceptualize being able to afford their own home.

In this new version, the player wins by “gaining experiences” rather than paying rent or accumulating wealth. Instead of getting out of jail free, you can get into jail for free so you don’t lose money, and the players have the option of working unpaid internships. The game tokens have also been upgraded to a smiley face emoji, a hashtag, and a smartphone, with the player who rolls first being the one who has the most student debt.

As if that wasn’t enough, Hasbro’s diligent marketing team outdid themselves with box art that would catch the eye of any 18-30 year old. The Monopoly man is seen holding a take-out cup of coffee, taking a selfie, and wearing a medal that reads “Participation.” The whole thing is made complete by the slogan “Forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway.”

If you’ve managed to make it this far into the article without clicking away, congratulations! Your cringe tolerance is higher than most. But while the game has taken a very tongue-in-cheek approach to appeal to a younger audience, the problems addressed are very real.

Owning a home was a milestone for the Baby Boomers and Generation X, but the sad truth is that being financially stable enough to afford a house is a quickly fading dream. In 1950, median household income was $4,237 USD, with the average new house costing around $7,500, less than 200 per cent of a family’s income. In Canada in 2015, median household income was $61,300 CDN after taxes, and a new house in Alberta costs roughly $387,000, or more than 600 per cent of income.

Most of this is due to inflation, which hasn’t made anything easier on young people, considering that $100 CDN in 1950 is the equivalent of about $1053 in 2018.

On the bright side, we just might all be able to afford homes if we just stop buying that expensive avocado toast. Millennials have heard all these jabs before, and it’s fun to laugh at yourself sometimes. But that humour stems from very real issues young people face that aren’t always taken seriously because older generations haven’t quite tackled the same obstacles. Young people will always fight new battles, and older people will ridicule them because they don’t understand them.

Jokes on the Boomers, though. I may not be able to afford a house or know what a thimble is, but at least I know how to open a PDF.