It’s just like Monopoly – except in this iteration real estate is expensive and nobody has enough money to buy a home.
Unveiled on Thursday, ‘Monopoly for Millennials’ is the latest iteration of the classic Hasbro board game in which players rack up experiences instead of real estate. With the tagline “Forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway,” the game plays off millennials’ increasing inability to buy real estate due to rising home prices, inventory shortages and high levels of student debt.
Courtesy of Hasbro
This version of the classic board game also pokes fun at common stereotypes about millennials, loosely defined as those born between 1981 and 1996. Rich Uncle Pennybags has headphones and a ‘participation medal’ while the back of the box features the common social media refrain “Adulting is Hard.”
Rather than having squares for Boardwalk and Park Place, this version of Monopoly has squares for a ‘week-long meditation retreat” and a “3-day music festival,” among the most valuable squares, along with trips to friends’ couches and parents’ basements, naturally the least valuable squares.
While the game has received widespread media attention, not everyone is amused. On social media, some said it was yet another way to blame millennials for not being able to afford real estate in a housing crisis caused by their parents.
With the National Association of Realtors pinning the median price of a home at $264,800, 63 percent of millennials say the high price of a down payment and mortgage costs were preventing them from buying homes. Nonetheless, millennials are still in the market, with half of all buyers under the age of 36 and first-time homebuyers responsible for 47 percent of all purchases, according to Zillow.
“Next, Monopoly for Baby Boomers: where you buy property for below value price, only people of color go to jail, and when you pass “Go” you get to complain about Millennials!!!” Twitter user @jknit135 wrote.
And then, of course, there were those who pointed out the irony in getting offended about a game.
Hasbro also released a statement saying they wanted 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.” Over the years, Hasbro has released countless versions of the board game, including the Ultimate Banking Edition, the Star Trek Edition and the Simpsons Edition. Monopoly for Millennials is currently available in US Walmart stores for $19.82.
“Whether you are a lifestyle vlogger, emoji lover or you make your ‘side hustle’ selling vegan candles, Monopoly for Millennials is for you!” the company said.