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Monopoly for Millennials kills all hope of ever owning real estate

The new game, which sports the tagline "Forget real estate. You can't afford it anyway," is seriously irritating some people.

Amanda Kooser
Freelance writer Amanda C. Kooser covers gadgets and tech news with a twist for CNET. When not wallowing in weird gear and iPad apps for cats, she can be found tinkering with her 1956 DeSoto.
Amanda Kooser
2 min read
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Some Millennials aren't enjoying the Monopoly digs.

Hasbro

Monopoly for Millennials is a real board game from Hasbro. Instead of vying to build hotels on expensive land like Park Place and Boardwalk, players win by racking up life experiences like attending a meditation retreat or rescuing an animal. Not everyone is happy about it.

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Monopoly for Millennials prizes experiences over real estate.

Hasbro

Millennials are usually defined as the generation born between the early '80s and late '90s. They grew up during a time of rapid technology changes and now face issues dealing with student debt and a lack of home equity.

The game, which is currently only available in US Walmart stores, is dividing people online.  

The in-your-face game design may have something to do with it. The tagline reads, "Forget real estate. You can't afford it anyway." The back of the box declares, "Adulting is hard." The Monopoly mascot character of Uncle Pennybags is holding a to-go coffee cup while wearing earphones and taking a selfie.

With references to thrift shops, vegan bistros, hashtags and yoga, the game is playing every millennial stereotype angle it can think of. Some folks find this extremely funny. Others, not so much.

"On one hand, I can see with my dark sense of humour part of the joke, but for some reason Monopoly for Millenials also gets my back up," writes Twitter user JohnHQLD.

"I think it's pretty offensive and uses stereotypes to make fun of millennials but I am a millennial so I'm probably too close to the issue," writes Amanda Peterson.

A Walmart website user named Adam titled a five-star review with "It's a joke you hardasses, lighten up." "It's not Baby Boomer propaganda, it's not saying millenials are terrible people, its just a game that makes light of the current millennial media trend. It's a fun work of satire, enjoy it. I got a good laugh out of it myself," the review says.

Monopoly for Millennials is meant to be "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," Hasbro spokeswoman Kristina Timmins said. 

Timmins says there are many Millennials on the Hasbro team and "we understand the seemingly endless struggles and silly generalizations that young Millennials can face." 

Monopoly for Millennials may be divisive, but it's just the latest in a long line of specialty Monopoly games that have embraced everything from Fortnite to outright cheating in the game. And maybe visiting a farmers' market using a bike share and then crashing on your friend's couch isn't the worst way to spend a day.

First published Nov. 13, 11:43 a.m. PT.
Update, 8:33 p.m. PT: Adds comment from Hasbro. 

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