It is one of the most famous and oldest board games in France, where it was a hit at the start of the health crisis, with nearly 300,000 copies sold between January and June 2020. Monopoly, including l The stake, clearly displayed, is to ruin his opponents through real estate transactions, will undergo a facelift.
On the occasion of its 86 years, Hasbro, the American brand owner of the venerable game, has decided to change certain cards, with messages deemed dated.
From March 19 until April 9, Internet users are invited to take part in a large online survey to choose 16 new “Community Caisses” cards from among 32 available.
These should then integrate the boxes from next summer, in order to be marketed worldwide from the fall.
“The goal of the game remains the same, it is the main one, reassures Philippe Pinoli, 49 years old, fan of the first hour and champion of France of Monopoly.
The idea is to modernize certain texts and deliver positive and educational messages in tune with the times.
When I play with my nephews and nieces, for example, I have to explain to them what a beauty pageant or life insurance is… It wasn't very glamorous!
"
Make way for citizen and environmental discourse
Gone, therefore, the cards with explicit references to the Stock Exchange, place for citizen and environmental discourse that speaks more to young people.
For the “Back to prison” card, Internet users will thus be able to choose between two new titles: “Deafing music late at night?
Your neighbors don't like it!
Go to jail!
Or "You find a wallet on the sidewalk and decide not to return it?"
Go to jail!
".
And for the fines, it is a question of deciding between "You organized a party between neighbors but did not recycle your waste?
Pay $ 100!
And "Do you go to the neighborhood school charity car wash but forget to close your windows?"
Pay $ 100!
".
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This is likely to cause cold sweats in some purists.
Doesn't Monopoly run the risk of becoming a moralist and losing its soul by allowing itself to be reworked in this way?
“Of course, it's the classic version of the game that will change.
But there will always be cards, pawns and two dice ”, relativizes Philippe Pinoli, hardly worried.
"We are in line with current trends in society"
"It is also important that Monopoly reflects a little more what people live, believes for his part a spokesperson for the Hasbro brand, at the initiative of online voting.
Thanks to this process, the players will be able to appropriate the game, which also ultimately belongs to them.
What's more, some messages were completely obscure for children, ”he argues.
Rest assured, Monopoly will become neither militant nor "precursor", insists Hasbro.
"We are in line with current trends in society and it wants to hear about community spirit and reasoned consumption", we continue on the side of the American company, which also owns the M. Potato or even Play-Doh.
“To stick to the current spirit, we could also now invent a Monoprix MeToo!
», Launches Philippe Pinoli.
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The board game, whose original cards were unchanged since 1935, has also been the subject of many new versions: nearly 50 different are available for sale around the world.
In France, the special edition of Monopoly for sore losers was a great success in 2020 and a player from Strasbourg even launched, at the start of the coronavirus epidemic, last March, a special containment Monopoly to be printed at self.