Monopoly ditches cash, goes plastic
By Darren Murph 
posted Jul 24th 2006 9:55PM
posted Jul 24th 2006 9:55PM
While Monopoly is the paragon of good 'ole fashioned board game fun, the "old fashioned" part had to go. Parker Brothers is phasing out the cash-based version's funmoney and replacing it with an "Electronic Banking" flavor that could leave Mr. Moneybags turning his pockets inside out as his stash is replaced by a magnetic strip. New kits are completely devoid of the famous multi-colored bills; instead, you'll find phoney Visa debit cards and a calculator / reader which keeps a running tabulation of your riches -- or lack thereof. A deal was struck with Visa to design the mock cards and readers, presumably after surveys showed that 70% of adults used cash less often now than they did a decade ago (no surprise there). When asked about the dramatic change, Parker said replacing cash with plastic "showed the game was moving with the times." For those anxious to get their swipe on, or if you've simply forgotten how to use bills, the new version will set you back £24.99, while the now "antiquated" cash version can be had for £12.99, but only while supplies last.
In the era of electronic games consist of online video games,casino online and online sports games, board games still haven't lost their value which is a good thing.
NEXT STEEP MARK OF THE BEAST anyone that buys this is promoting the next steep America please wake up before it is to late prisonplanet.tv
Maybe if Monopoly didn't get rid of cash all together, it wouldn't be so bad. However, they did and that's why the game is awful. On the bright side, there is a new game coming out called Charge-Large, which teaches credit card management, and still utilizes cash!!!!!!! This game is awesome.
http://www.chargelargegame.com
Sorry Monopoly and Hasbro, eccentric Billionaire Charlie Large hit the mark with the Charge Large Board Game...Colleges and High School are already implementing the game into their curriculum and even orientation. Not too mention who doesn't want their Black Charge Card??? What??? Oh yeah, the young entrepreneurs teamed-up with the mogul, Charlie Large, and they took the best of the old board games and now players start with an entry level gold credit card and upon using their credit properly players become eligible to upgrade to the platinum card and then the black card! Woot woot! Game is great, the guys were at Princeton a few weeks back! The Charge Large Board Game is the next innovative thing, it's educational and is our country's financial literacy and credit card management education!
Are they really that out of ideas?
Well, on the bright side, no more cheating!
geez, first they talk about phasing out the pennies in the US, now their phasing out cash all together in Monopoly? Well...i guess their effort for moving on with the times was done well lol.
No joke: I literally read this as Microsoft ditches cash, goes plastic. :(
I've got to say this kind of seems lame. I actually remember that playing monopoly as a kid actually helped a bit with math and perhaps even with the idea of handling money. Having to sit there and add up the money, etc. was pretty fun anyway. Seems kind of goofy to have to use a credit card or whatever. Although one perk I guess would be not running out of monopoly money. Still, I hope the regular monopoly money version of this game is still available somehow.
I like the subtle branding that Visa managed to get on the electronic banking unit.
The money is what makes the game FUN. With a credit card, now how do you know how much money you have available at a glance? Do you have to wait for your monthly bank statement? I'm assuming when you pass GO you now have direct deposit. I wonder what interest and bank fees are involved.
Geez, no wonder our kids won't be able to do math. They will never notice with the Diebolt 2015 Cash Delivery System starts charging a 50% service fee.
I think it's brilliant! Board game hackers can't be far behind They'll be called Brackers...
Hey, I own Meditarranean Avenue. What?? You want to pay me $2 with Visa?? Sheesh, never mind, get the hell off my property.
They should take this all the way and have bar codes on the property titles so the exact amount is charged for purchase, mortgage and paying off the mortgage (Who wants to have to figure out the 10% fee when you have plastic?)
Or better yet, RFID in the tokens and houses/hotels so rent is automatically deducted from the payer.
IMHO - My kids and I will always play with the colored money.
You can print your own replacement money from Hasbro's site...
http://www.hasbro.com/monopoly/pl/page.treasurechest/dn/default.cfm
It can help when you're getting a little low on funds, excuse yourself to make a little popcorn, print off a page of $50s.
These guys had it first:
http://www.uneasysilence.com/archive/2006/07/7102/
Gettin the corporate logo into the kids' heads as early as possible, right?
What about visa's service charge fee??? Where's the reality in that?
This is a sad, sad, sad day.
Every Christmas Eve me and my family sit down at the table and play Monopoly. Its a tradition. We play until we cannot sit up anymore(funnier in the morning too when our parents don't want to get up!LOL).
Playing with money was the best part. I would play on a "team" with my mom and my sister with my dad. We would "loan" money to each other...
There is no fun left now.
I know that it was kinda lame that you could only play monopoly once because(little brothers would open the box and lose all the money or eat it) all the money would be gone. Thats was ok though.
Money is what made it fun.
Shame on you Parker Brothers. Shame on you.....
This is so awesome. No more messing with a big mess of cash :)
Great idea! Let's teach kids that you can just swipe a card and everything is paid for. This is why the majority of Americans are $30k in debt -- because they're stupid and don't realize that when they swipe the AmEx card they are actually spending money (that they often do not have).
Flipping lamest thing I've ever seen. I hope Visa and Parker Brothers both die tomorrow.
OH GOD! Please tell me that it is April 1st. PLEASE. Some how I must have messed up every calendar I come in contact with, my summer vacation isn't really happening and I'm still in school.
They just did this to save money.
Paper money is the way to go. Having all of those stacks of money layed out and tucked under the edge of the board simply for the intimidation value...you can't throw off other players games by waving a plastic card at them...they have to be able to see the quantity of deep sh*t they are in at all times.
This is the New Coke of board games. It won't last. Or at least they'll charge you extra for a paper-money pack.
Looks like VISA has the monopoly on the Monopoly market. Personally, I have no interest in paying for games where sponsors are in my face. I paid for the game. It should be free from advertising.
I fail to see why the paper-money version has to be phased out. That's what makes it fun and tangible. Again, VISA no doubt smiling all the way. Parker Brothers management have no clue whatsoever. This decision will be reversed.
If i tallied this up right, that makes 2 for the idea and 15 against (16 counting me). If I didn't mind being possibly banned from engadget blogs, I would lenghten this up w/ a few strong obsceneties at both Parker Brothers and VISA. This is hands down the second lamest idea I have ever heard (first was the Nintendo "Wii", but thats another blog).
To see that I was pwning with my large stash of cash was the only fun thing about the game.
So, what's next? Hm...how about cc's in poker? =]
Oh thats just lame. Not only did they go and make it electronical cashola, but they had to go and stick Visa on it too :(
Half the fun of Monopoly was to cheat, and mess around with the money.
A turn for the worse I say.
"Well, on the bright side, no more cheating!"
But the cheating is what makes it fun. Half the fun is changing the rules and doing outrageous things ($500 for landing on free parking anyone ?). Besides, as one other poster mentioned, this games helps young ones learn simple math and other life lessons. After all...
Cheating is a part of life. And so is being cheated. Forewarned is forearmed.
Besides, without the cash the kids of the future won't know the joy of successfully completing a deal with a vicious opponent to aqcuire the green monoply, thus using all available cash. Well, actually that's not so great...the fun part is then pulling out the massive wad of cash you had squirreled away under the table that had your oponent known you had it, would NEVER have agreed to the deal. Watching his/her 'top of the world' sneer turn to ashes as they eye your knot, right before the hotels start blooming like mushrooms clouds.
Sliding a card can't replace that...
I agree with 'tekdroid', there's no reason to do away with the money (even if you can print your own). They didn't 86 the physical version of the game when the various forms of monopoly started appearing on computers and console systems, why do this ? Just offer the stupid card thing as an accessory one can CHOOSE to buy.
If anything they should computerize the DICE so you don't slowly bounce hotels and houses off their proper spaces...or knock them over all together.
Then again...blowing on a 6x6 digital randomizer doesn't have the Las Vegas chic of blowing on dice...
Bah...it's a board game...just leave it old school...
Boy this sucks, I was just playing Monopoly a few weeks ago, and I loved flashing all the cash that I had in their faces, and at the end of the game its always fun to have a money fight. So now what? I flash a debit card into my oponents faces, when each of us have the exact same card, with the same number? Where's the fun in that? And what if you loose all your money, and have mortaged yourself out to the max? What your opponent cuts up your card? I mean what about the monthly fees, APR and all that crud, "Okay collect 200 dollars for passing GO, oh wait I am sorry sir you have been having too many late fees lately, I am afraid you can't have this money." Heck they even had to get VISA involved! "Monopoly a subsidary of VISA INC." Ugh, just makes you want to take your credit card and cut it up into a billion tiny pieces.
This is rubbish. I'm with the majority of all the other posts - the money is the best thing about Monopoly.
Oh - thanks for the link Brandon. I'm going to print out about £100,000 worth of bills and have them stuck up my sleeves for the next game on Christmas Day.
How will Americans mock our colourful Canadian currency? Monopoly money is the quintessential symbol of boardgames (well, that and the little Monopoly pieces, which will be phased out in favour of some sort of brainwave-based, McDonalds-branded system). While I think this is a novel idea, and would fly if sold as a different version of Monopoly, a credit card system replacing the cash is a solution looking for a problem, and it's a s****y solution at that. Oh, and what about lost cards? Do we have to report it stolen to Visa, the pay an unreasonable sum for a replacement.
Paper money will always have a place in my heart.
So much for playing Monopoly all Shabbos :-(
I like the idea. Can't wait to get one of these.
board game - £24.99
christmas wrapper - £1.99
the look on the faces of the kids when the board says that their credit score doesn't let them have a credit card...priceless.
oh, wait, wrong card...dammit.
NOTHING MORE THAN AN ADVERTISING GIMMICK BY VISA THAT THE FAILING MONOPOLY BEAN COUNTERS HOPE WILL REVITALIZE THE COMPANY YOU NEVER CHANGE A WINNING PROGRAM
So what company is going to start selling monopoly cash on the side? I think it is pretty cool, but I always like seeing how much cash my opponent has on them. So when will the board be electrified and whenever my playing piece land on board walk it automatically subtract the fee. Pretty soon you won't have to do anything but roll the dice or they might make that electric as well.
This is such a stupid idea. They'll reverse it when either (a) their sales decreases or (b) they get enough complaints.
And y'all are talking about how the corporate advertising is bad... What about the many versions of Monopoly that are based on different things, like Star Wars, Pokemon, etc.
I got this electronic banking edition of Monopoly about a week ago so the terminal is not new news... just the fact that Hasbro have decided to get rid of the Monoploy Money all together. If you have any questions about please ask and I will be happy to anwser them!
I just sent this story off to my friend at the NY Daily News. This mayhem must stop before it starts.
Hey Andrew, Can you still cheat? What happens when you past GO?
I would almost go and buy this out of curiosity, but I would miss waving my fotune in peoples faces.
I have to agree with Alex above, this is a bad idea.. teaching children to use a credit card :(. It's bad enough most parents don't teach their kids anything about how to use credit responsibly.. mostly because too many parents don't do it themselves ! The TRILLIONS - yes with a "T", of consumer credit card debt in the US is staggering, and getting worse every day. Credit card companies prey on kids on college campuses to lure them into using plastic.. and sinking themselves into more debt on top of crushing student loans.
Noo.. this is a stupid idea. I understand modernization, but it seems pretty obvious by the opinions here that the funny money was THE fun part of the game ! I happen to agree.
Hmm.. gee.. maybe if they built in REAL WORLD credit usage pitfalls.. like going over your limit, or overdrafting your Debit card.. nosebleed default interest rates and .. have the phone ring from a nasty debt collector when you're past due .. just a thought. ;)
SHOW ME THE MONEY !!! lol
Fake money or fake plastic?
Well, let's think about this for a minute...
Hold up your fake piece of plastic.
Now hold up and fan all your $500 and $100 bills.
Which makes you feel rich? Which one makes you feel pimpin', sucka?
The CASH, baby!
A handful of big bills are always more impressive than plastic. And since the idea of Monopoly is to acquire as much wealth as you can, the cash is a major part of what makes the game so fun. You have something tangible to hold and feel, fan and show off - wealth the other players can see with their own eyes without you saying a word. A stupid fake credit card won't mean jack.
The problem with Parker Brothers is, every so many years, they must see a lag in Monopoly sales, so they come up with some twist on the game in an effort to stir up consumers' interest again. But the last time they tried doing this with a gadget, they came up with that stupid Monopoly Playmaster which was an absolute piece of crap that ended up tanking miserably.
This stupid thing will fail, too, just like the Playmaster.
Parker Brothers apparently doesn't realize that Monopoly is a game and not real life, therefore what we do out in the real world doesn't automatically transfer over and gel well with the game.
If they actually try to phase out cash versions of this game and attempt to replace them with this stupid thing, when it fails and sales drop like a rock, they'll do a Homer - DOH! - and start releasing cash versions again.
I'm kind of sad to see this because I think a lot of kids learned a lot about finance and making mental transations in their head from this game. Then again, since so many transations are done by credit card these days, I guess this they are just changing with the times. Still kind of sad, and I'm only 20... I'm sure this will break the hearts of some 40 - 50 year olds out there.
- Tony R.
Oh yes, I forgot to address one other thing...
They say that "the game is moving with the times."
Are they serious? How long have credit cards been out now? Well, let's see. They were first introduced as we know them sometime in the late 50's, really caught on in the early 70's, and became ubiquitous by around 1980 or so. So plastic has been around somewhere between 25 and 50 years, depending on how you look at it.
Yeah, way to keep up with the times, Parker Brothers.
I think Parker Brothers has too many slow moving greybeards at the top and this is their way of feebly trying to fool consumers into thinking that Parker Brothers isn't actually made up of dinosaurs who lack imagination.
PB, how about coming up with something truly creative for Monopoly for once? I can think of some really great ideas that would bring the game into the 21st century.
But too bad the people with all the decisive power have no ideas, and the people with all the ideas don't work for you - and if they did, wouldn't be listened to, anyway.
You could always run a contest and ask people to submit their new ideas to revamp Monopoly, ya know. And then give the winning contestant a percentage of all sales.
Just a thought. (Hint, hint...)
How sad. In a few years our kids won't even be able to do simple addition or subtraction without the assistance of a calculator or computer device. And forget about the multiplication needed when you get the card "You are assessed for street repairs – $40 per house, $115 per hotel."
Yay no more running out of money!! and finally i can burn those 1s and 5s lol
This will most likely take away my favorite modification to the game rules: having everyone pay taxes, fees, etc. to Free Parking, so that Free Parking effectively becomes "TAX REFUND DAY!!!!"