Monopoly ditches cash, goes plastic
By Darren Murph 
posted July 24th 2006 9:55PM
posted July 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.
Oh ya.. Reply to not being able to land on free parking and get all that loot and wishing everytime you pass that thing you would have landed on it, especially if your in last place! Well aren't you moded :) I am personally for the game and loving every minute of it. I also like that wad of cash but my brother always bends, rips, and tears the crap. What am i gonaa do now hah? Spend 10 minutes straightening out dollar bills? well i dont feel like it. Yay for monopoly and back to free parking problem. Just transfer that tax whenever you have to pay to another card tha no one is using(zero it out first then add the 500k start off)and there you go. When you land on free parking..tada! Just transfer the money from that card to yours and then add 500k to the other card again. Yay, Conincha @%@*%!& and before i leave I have no idea hot to spell Conincha so its propably wrong. Bye Suckas!
Apparently this is only available in the forth-coming "Here and Now" version. All other versions will retain good old hard currency.
The BBC says the cash version is NOT being discontinued and will continue to be sold alongside the electronic version:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/5212732.stm
Looking at Google News it seems that several British outlets have run the story, but it hasn't shown up stateside. Maybe this is a UK-only thing.
I don't think they are totally phasing the "money" out of the game. The electronic/debit card version has been seen as part of the "Then and Now" version, a variant of the game featuring modern day things like cell phones and such.
Man, I can't believe how many of you are hating on this idea. I think it's a good one. First off, it's not like they'd be using credit cards. It wouldn't work. See, cause when you go negative in monopoly, your game is over. Therefore, these are debit cards. I use my debit card all of the time because it's easier then dealing with cash. Therefore, it's a bit more realistic.
Problems I have with other people's posts:
- If your children are learning how to count solely because of monopoly, you have some major issues.
- For the jerks who feel they can't gloat as well without a big wad of money, great! Maybe this will teach you how to be a compassionate winner.
- For those of you who still want to play with paper money, go for it. But I'll use my debit card. If I end up owing you $2, I'll just get it out of the ATM.
Galley wrote:
"Apparently this is only available in the forth-coming "Here and Now" version."
************
The "Here and Now" version?
More like the "Finally Here and Way Back Then" version.
Or maybe the "Still Stuck in the 70's and 80's" version.
There's always the "We Just Woke Up from a 25+ Year Long Nap" version.
And the "Cryogenics Awakening and We're Still Catching Up" version.
Or how about the "Fake Plastic and Big Dumb Kalkoolater" version.
And the "Sorry, But This is the Best Thing We Could Come Up With" version.
And finally, "Lame-opoly".
OK. I'm done.
For now...
What a JOKE! Is nothing sacred anymore? God forbid you need a replacement card. Nothing like getting a bad credit rating at the age of 6.
My dughter thinks all I need is that plastic card to pay for things, I used to think that all my parents had to do was go to a "teller machine" to get money to pay for things.
I don't have a problem with either version, perhaps realizing that there are numbers associated to that plastic card and that the numbers aren't limitless, is worth the investment.
I want to see online versions of these games that people can play against each other.
@CaseCom, according to the entry for Monopoly over on Wikipedia, the "electronic banking" version is only available in France and Germany.
Considering how conservative (note the lowercase 'c') American tastes seem to run (especially based on the general gnashing of teeth here), I wonder if the US will ever see this version.
Will there be a $2 ATM Service fee?
Every other round, someone will hound you to sign up for overdraft protection.
"...Can you still cheat? What happens when you past GO?..."
When you pass GO you simply load your card into the right terminal (there are two terminals on either side of the machine, one for negative money and the other for positive money) and press the Green button with the arrow in the middle of the machine. As for cheating... if you are the banker you can simply "key in the wrong numbers" ;). I have noticed that you cant add or remove greater than 20 milion (Boardwalk with a Hotel) from a card at once so you cant cheat that badly.
"...the "electronic banking" version is only available in France and Germany..."
I am in Australia and I am currentley enjoying the electronic banking edition. No doubt that it will come out in the US when the "Here and Now" edition comes out.
Another thing I picked up on is that people think they will be charging $2 rent to their cards. Keep in mind that in this version the rent has skyrocked and you are now paying millions of dollars for one property (you start with 15 million).
No. There will be a new kind of cheating - credit card fraud.
No. There will be a new kind of cheating - credit card fraud.
Oh Great! now our kids can learn how to "charge it"
"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."
Man I didn't think I could see the day, you know it was the credit idea that sent the US into a depression?
Plus, it is the cash that the kids have to count that makes it worth it.
AND PLUS to prevent cheating... for cripes sake it is a board game... come on, not the World Cup!
credit for park avenue... please.
Ive bought it.Its a very clever idea and new ideas have been brought in to make it work
money always got lost in this it doesnt itstops the banker cheating
it is moving on with the times considering the introduction of chip and pin and the banks trying to get us to pay with debit cards(debit not credit so it is in a way telling children they an only spend the money they have)
i personally think its a good idea no matter what every one else says
Funny that, so far, no one has mentioned "conditioning". This is the type of change that would do B.F. Skinner proud.
I think people need to stop critizing unless they have played the new game. Both versions have their own pros and cons so just get over it!!
I think that it's about time! I can't wait until it comes to America and I think that modernizing a classic game is a cool way to get people's interest back. GREAT IDEA HASBRO!
I think this new idea is great! Nothing like modernizing a classic to bring people's interest back. GOOD FOR YOU HASBRO! Don'tlisten to all of the pesimists out there.
crazy how times change. huh? like any other changes, theres a good and a bad. i'll start with the bad, monopoly forces you to use your brain by having to count your money, and subtract diffrent amounts when for buying properties, even for landing on other peoples property. its loosing some of its education basis. on the other hand, shifting through all those bills, even though at times it makes you feel like a baller, wont be missed. the game will be a much shorter game now, not having to wait while for a slow banking person to give you your change. so the card will have its advantages. honestly i feel people are gonna want both versions of the game, and adults will be the majortiy of the population playing the older version. with taking out the aspect of dealing with all that money will make the younger generation enjoy the newer version much more. hey its america, simplicity first!!
i think is not a good idea to change it true kids learn some math skills playing the old game just have both
Shame on Parker Brothers! How dare they do this, in an obvious and blatant attempt to appeal to the future market? Everyone loves the money, don't they? I mean, as a kid, I'm sure we all loved the chance to handle money (well, we didn't know it was fake at the time). And it was great fun to chuck in the air when you won, too.
So, if anyone feels this way, come and visit my friend and I's forum, Bring Back Monopoly Money, located at: http://bonnefourchette.proboards85.com/index.cgi
Please register and help us in the campaign to keep our beloved Monopoly Money!
I think it's pretty cool... yea it kinda ruin's the whole thing by useing a credit card cause that's how i learned how to count money and get better in math...
but also the major plusside to the whole thing is that we don't have to worry about people cheating anymore...now maybe i'll like to play again.
I think it's pretty cool... yea it kinda ruin's the whole thing by useing a credit card cause that's how i learned how to count money and get better in math...
but also the major plus side to the whole thing is that we don't have to worry about people cheating anymore and it's less of a mess...now maybe i'll like to play again.
I think Visa is paying them a lot to do this. A card reader seems to me to be more expensive then paper. Actually, there's no reason for credit cards-they have no purpose. I know that, in the spirit of this game, these would be debit cards, but [RANT] If you don't have the money to begin with, then with the fees and interest, you are going to have less money then you started with. If you couldn't pay your bills in the first place, and this is the reason you used a credit card, then you are now in debt. [/RANT]
They should take this all the way and have bar codes on the property titles so the exact amount is charged for purchase
http://www.laptopbatteryclub.com/
hi, i was wondering were you can get this at?
and also how much does it cost? and also when it is out in stores.
my mum saw this on television and she thought it was great idea so if i can find this info out it would be much appreciated so that we could buy one of them and also how many calculaters come with it and also the credit cards?
regards
stacey
rhodes
p.s please reaply as soon as posible.
thanks
Thanks for all comments, which are helpful for me. I'll pay more attention on comments here. JACK - www.chinabboss.com
Great, make our kids dumber, no reason to have our kids learning to count while having fun with the family. While at the same time conditioning our kids for a cashless society. I know your gonna say " oh but it will make the game go faster " I know why spend some time with the kids. Let's just get it over with right?
Which bring to my head and brakes my heart that, I can't remember when I played a board game with my kids! I will tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nuts. Now I won't be able to get my money when I stop on the parking space!! LOL!! Sounds like a good game, maybe. Dunno about that idea of losing the money though. I have too many cards in my life now. Sigh.
CREDIT CARD MONOPOLY!!
How long before they just plant chips in our brains...so we don't have to think at all!!!
What is wrong with the world. I use cash with almost every transaction now a days. I use to use plastic until I realizedI was 5000 in debt (yeah that wasmy fault). Cash keeps you in check.
Will Visa also give us cash advance and loans to help our kids learn how 'easy' it is to get things without earning it.
It would be one thing to just create a new version, but to get rid of the old version that's just sick. Oh well, I guess I'll just be banning Parker Brothers altogether, lol, I would ban Visa but I already have.
This is basically a lie. The Electronic Banking edition is just one of the many special editions that Parker Brothers has made over the years. One year later and you can still buy the classic edition complete with paper money. You should be ashamed of yourselves for not doing your research, and I'll remember not to read anything posted by this blog in the future.
I work at a high school where the kids have a hard enough time counting real money, so we used the old game to help...i guess that ideas is out the window now....instantaneously
Oh ya.. Reply to not being able to land on free parking and get all that loot and wishing everytime you pass that thing you would have landed on it, especially if your in last place! Well aren't you moded :) I am personally for the game and loving every minute of it. I also like that wad of cash but my brother always bends, rips, and tears the crap. What am i gonaa do now hah? Spend 10 minutes straightening out dollar bills? well i dont feel like it. Yay for monopoly and back to free parking problem. Just transfer that tax whenever you have to pay to another card tha no one is using(zero it out first then add the 500k start off)and there you go. When you land on free parking..tada! Just transfer the money from that card to yours and then add 500k to the other card again. Yay, Conincha @%@*%!& and before i leave I have no idea hot to spell Conincha so its propably wrong. Bye Suckas!