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Rearranging the Monopoly board
(by Ed Flynn - September 17, 2008)
Real estate experts will tell you that when it comes to determining the value of a piece of property the key factor is “Location, location, location” and as just about everybody knows, Boardwalk and Park Place are the two prime addresses on a Monopoly board.
But no more. At least not in the new “World Edition” released this month by toy maker Hasbro, the game’s current owner. As the result of what the company claims was a worldwide vote, “global cities” have replaced the familiar street names on the traditional board with Montreal and Riga now occupying those prestigious sites located just before “Go.”
Riga? In case you don’t know – and I won’t embarrass you by asking – it’s the capital of Latvia. I’ve actually been there and it’s a nice little place, just about as quaint as its neighbors, those world-renowned cities of Vilnius, capital of Lithuania, and Tallinn, capital of Estonia, which weren’t selected. As for Montreal, I’ve been there, too; quite a few times in fact, and it’s a thriving metropolis that’s a nice place to visit except for the fact that its residents speak their own version of French and tend to look down their nose on anybody who doesn’t.
As for the least expensive building plots on the Monopoly board, they are now occupied by Taipei and Gydnia and before you have to ask, Taipei is on the island of Taiwan and Gdynia is in Poland.
Whether or not you agree with the choice of cities for the new Global game will probably depend on the country in which you live. There are, of course, only a limited number of spaces available for property on the Monopoly board but the selection of cities which occupy those sites is probably more notable for its omissions than for its inclusions. While the board does include what I consider the “Big Four” – New York, London, Paris and Rome – wouldn’t Moscow have been a better choice than, let’s say, Kiev, and Berlin a more logical pick than Cape Town or Belgrade? There are three cities from Canada – Toronto and Vancouver along with Montreal – but not a single city south of our border. Maybe that has something to do with that fence we’re building. And how about the fact that while Jerusalem occupies a prime location not a single piece of land is provided for an Arab city?
OK, I’m probably taking this all too seriously. It is only a game, but it’s a game for which I feel a personal attachment. After all, I’ve been playing it on and off since 1935 when it was first introduced during the depth of the Great Depression. I was 13 that year. It was a time before television and video games and when Monopoly came along it fit perfectly into that era of simple pleasures, a game that along with jigsaw puzzles and card games like Old Maid, could provide an entire family with hours of enjoyment.
However, when Charles Darrow of Germantown, Pa. first submitted the game of Monopoly to Parker Brothers, believe it or not, they rejected it. It wasn’t until he made and sold 5,000 sets of his own at a Philadelphia department store that the company changed its mind and bought the rights to what is now the best-selling board game in the world.
As I said, I’ve been playing it a long time. First as a child myself; then with my own children and later with my grandchildren. I’m not sure when I played it last but not so long ago that I can’t remember the names of all those properties which, in case you didn’t know, are the names of the streets in Atlantic City.
We had more than our share of family fights during those games including accusations of cheating, but we always parted friends. However, this new global version could lead to some serious disputes in some countries. For example, China insists that Taipei and the whole island of Taiwan on which it is located really belongs to it, the Iranians are continually threatening to bomb Jerusalem, the Russians seem bent on restoring their empire and may have their eye on Kiev and Montreal wants to secede from the rest of Canada.
Maybe the rules should be changed for the new Global game. Instead of paying rent when you land on someone else’s property you’d have the right to seize it and rearrange the board to your liking the way some nations are always trying to reshape the map.
And why not change the name? Instead of Monopoly we could call it Oligarchy. In case you’re not up on the technical terms for governments, that’s the type they have in China, Russia, Iran and other states ruled by an elite group.
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