Human Interest
WATCH: Monopoly for millennials triggers outrage─── 17:29 Sat, 17 Nov 2018
If millennials, generation snowflake, or the ‘no house, no money, just avocado’ young people were hoping jokes about their age group would fade, a new Hasbro game isn't offering much relief.
"Monopoly for Millennials" — the recently released version of the classic board game — centers around the often-mocked generation of people born between 1981 and 1996.
The cover features "Monopoly" icon Rich Uncle Pennybags with a cup of coffee, earbuds and a medal labeled "participation". The tagline on the cover reads: "Forget real estate. You can't afford it anyway."
Though the board features the traditional "Go To Jail" space, there is a major difference in this version of the classic game: Instead of collecting money, players will be collecting experiences as they traverse the board. These experiences include "Parents' Basement," "Thrift Shop" and "Farmers' Market".
"Money doesn't always buy a great time, but experiences, whether they're good - or weird - last forever," says the game's description on Walmart's website. The description also notes that "adulting is hard".
In reaction to Hasbro's newest product, many people took to Twitter to express their feelings towards the game.
Some found the game to be an unfair portrayal of their age demographic.
RT reports Rich Uncle Pennybags appears wearing earphones, sunglasses and proudly showing off his participation medal, hammering almost every clichéd trope imaginable in one obnoxious caricature.
The much-loved car, ship, top hat and thimble player pieces have been replaced with a camera, a pair of sunglasses and the now-ubiquitous hashtag, because property and prosperity is overrated, apparently.
As was surely anticipated, Hasbro has received a lot of flak on social media over its latest Monopoly iteration, garnering much-coveted online outrage which almost inevitably saves heaps of cash on marketing spend.
Hasbro defended its decision to create such an intentionally inflammatory version of the game in a statement to Fortune (fittingly).
“We created Monopoly for Millennials to provide fans with a lighthearted game that allows millennials to take a break from real life and laugh at the relatable experiences and labels that can sometimes be placed on them,” the company explained. “Whether you are a lifestyle vlogger, emoji lover or you make your ‘side hustle’ selling vegan candles, Monopoly for Millennials is for you!”
