Everyone has experienced the never-ending board game that is Monopoly. Players always end up chucking their pieces across the room in frustration, and the game rarely finishes. Some of the only upsides to the game are slipping bills underneath couch cushions and moving ahead extra spaces when nobody is looking before the gasps of horror and finger-pointing ensue. Everybody does it, and everybody knows. Until now.
Monopoly Live, the newest version of the classic board game, electronically monitors the game to ensure there is no cheating. A 10-inch tower sits in the middle of the board where it watches the pieces move around the board. The panoptic tower scans the board with infrared light, using a camera to spot reflectors on each piece. To roll the dice, players place their hands on top of the piece and the tower rolls for them, creating fake dice sounds.
Monopoly isn’t the only classic game to receive an electronic makeover. Scrabble Flash is a twist on the old favorite where players move around electronic tiles to create words. When placed next to each other, the tiles are able to electronically read what the letters are and decide if the word is useable, eliminating “Is that a word?” negotiations.
While older generations may scoff at these modernized childhood games, Hasbro is redeveloping these classics with the future in mind. With video games monopolizing younger people’s attention, the company hopes computerized versions will appeal to a generation obsessed with technology.
By going digital, Hasbro is attempting to generate the same excitement among children today that the original versions did years ago. Executives said the 8-12 age group wants a fast-paced game that requires using their hands, much like the video games they are used to playing.
Hasbro realized this generation requires some sort of computerized aspect to stay focused while maintaining the social side of a classic board game. By not attempting to turn these into video games, the company wants the games to encompass each player’s tastes. By creating games such as Monopoly Live and Scrabble Flash, players can have the best of both worlds.
While these two games are the first available, they are certainly not alone in the world of digital board games. Battleship, as well as a number of other games, will undergo a similar transformation within the next few years.
While many games haven’t been introduced in digital versions yet, some are being shortened from regular versions to hold the fleeting attention of players. Cranium and the popular Apples to Apples have developed quicker versions that can be played in short bursts, with the ability to end the games at almost any time without abandoning them halfway through.
What does this mean for the standard board game? Is this the beginning of the end for the games older generations grew up with? Possibly. With a society seemingly dependent on virtual stimulation, traditional board games are turning into “bored” games. Many are collecting dust in attics, their place on the family room shelf usurped by the digital versions. For those who enjoy playing traditional Monopoly’s banker and slipping an extra $100 bill, don’t fret. The original versions are still being sold and are in no danger of being discontinued.
