Why should you stop playing Monopoly? Because there are so many far more enjoyable gaming experiences for the whole family. Let’s look at the problems inherit in Monopoly.
1. It takes too long: Many games of Monopoly end with everyone just deciding to quit and voting on a winner.
2. It gets boring: It sure is fun in the beginning, but after a while it just gets redundant.
3. Players get eliminated: If you play the true version of the game, players get eliminated and have to sit around and wait for the current game to finish. So you loan money to them to stay in the game, and that just makes the ordeal last even longer.
4. No one knows the correct rules: Free Parking bonus? That isn’t a rule! You aren’t supposed to put money in free parking for a player to get as a bonus if they land on it. The effect this has is that it makes the game even longer. This was invented to add some excitement to this classic boring game.
So why do people play Monopoly? Well there are a few reasons. First of all everyone knows how to play Monopoly. It is the standard boardgame that most have played at some time in their lives. Secondly, it is readily available just about everywhere. And Thirdly, it is a way to bring the family together for an activity. It is even fun for a short while, and everyone can play from young to old.
Even the Board is Boring
The solution to this problem? Believe it or not (and you probably already do if you are looking at this website) there are a lot of other boardgames that are very fun, spanning any age or theme you might think of. My recommendation for those looking to break the Monopoly monotony is the classic game The Settlers of Catan.
Now, for you boardgamer who know this game, many of you have probably already advanced way beyond this game and consider it classic but old news. For you new boardgamers, the ones who are looking for a way to put some fun back into the family night, this is a great game to start with.
The Settlers of Catan is a game in which each player builds roads and cities next to various gameboard areas, such as plains, mountains, grasslands, forests and others. Each area produces a certain resource that players can collect to purchase their roads and cities and other fun things. The board is a series of hexagonal tiles that you change from game to game so that the layout is different every time. Dice are involved; they tell you which hexes produce their resources each turn. You collect and trade resources with of the other players to build up your little civilization. The first player to get to 10 points wins.
How does it address the Monopoly problems?
1. Each game usually lasts less than 90 minutes, once you know how to play it can easily last less than an hour.
2. The game is fun and exciting – even challengeing – and doesn’t have that extraordinary length to make it boring.
3. Everybody plays until the game is over.
4. The rules are fairly simple and although listed as age 12 and over, it can easily be picked up by kids as young as 8.
Granted, it’s harder to find a copy of this game than it is to find Monopoly, but the easiest way is to order it online. But this will give you a great introduction to the fun you can have in the board game world. The initial game is for up to 4 players, but you can pick up an expansion that allows up to 6 people to play. There are other expansions that enhance gameplay and help to keep the enjoyment coming. The expansion I highly recommend is Seafarers, which adds a wonderful maritime aspect to the game.
So ditch the Monopoly and get the whole family involved in something fun!
It’s So Good to be Retired
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1 Comment
How do you increase sales of an old game that everyone owns? Make a different theme, same boring game with new theme. Star Wars Monopoly, Spungebob Monopoly, Disney Monopoly, What is wrong with yhese games they have the word Monopoly in the title. I agree stop the Monopoly madness. I remember a few family fun nights as a kid the nights we played Sorry ( another lame duck) were more exciting hell Stratego was more fun and I dont know all the rulesLOL.