Hasbro Faces Backlash Over Savage Monopoly for Millennials Board Game: 'Adulting is Hard'
Monopoly has a new edition that skewers a generation.
Hasbro, the company behind the classic board game, released its new model to target millennials — people born between 1981 and 1996, according to Pew Research — but the game has received mixed reactions from its target market.
The game’s tagline reads, “Forget real estate. You can’t afford it anyway.” On the box, Monopoly’s traditional mascot, Rich Uncle Pennybags, sports earbuds and sunglasses, holds a coffee cup, and wears a gold participation medal while taking a selfie on a smartphone. Traditional game pieces are swapped out for crying emojis and hashtags.
One twitter user also pointed out that the board has fewer spaces than a normal Monopoly game board, “presumably because millennials are too lazy for a full game of Monopoly.”
Also there's fewer spaces on this game board than a usual monopoly game board
Presumably because millennials are too lazy for a full game of monopoly pic.twitter.com/3sZpcyfop0— Jason (@envinyon) November 7, 2018
Let’s play a game of MILLENNIAL MONOPOLY. The rules are simple, you start with no money, you can’t afford anything, the board is on fire for some reason and everything is your fault.
— TechnicallyRon (@TechnicallyRon) May 6, 2018
Another Twitter user shared a scorching take: “The rules are simple, you start with no money, you can’t afford anything, the board is on fire for some reason and everything is your fault.”
In the game, instead of investing in real estate as you do in the traditional version, players rack up experiences such as travel, meals at vegan restaurants, music festivals, and crashing on their friend’s couch.
Walmart.com’s description of the game reads, “Money doesn’t always buy a great time, but experiences, whether they’re good — or weird — last forever.”
“Adulting is hard,” it continues. “You deserve a break from the rat race!”
Some social media users have taken issue with the game poking fun at millennials who cannot afford rent. “#Millennialmonopoly = glaringly reflective of an era of where many youth can’t afford housing and have no recourse but to accept short term unstable ‘experiences’ as a constellation prize,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“Whoever has the most debt gets to go first,” tweeted another.
#Millennialmonopoly = glaringly reflective of an era of where many youth can’t afford housing and have no recourse but to accept short term unstable “experiences” as a constellation prize. https://t.co/sTLhrmN9YL
— Vivian Stamatopoulos (@DrVivianS) November 13, 2018
“Whoever has the most debt gets to go first” #MonopolyforMillennials pic.twitter.com/cmEz0N7v4g
— Kevin (@kwprime) November 15, 2018
Despite the mixed reviews, Hasbro is standing by its new game.
“We created Monopoly for Millennials 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,” a spokesperson for Hasbro tells PEOPLE in a statement. “With many of us being Millennials ourselves, we understand the seemingly endless struggles and silly generalizations that young Millennials can face (and we can’t even!). Whether you are a lifestyle vlogger, emoji lover or you make your “side hustle” selling vegan candles, Monopoly for Millennials is for you!”
The game is available at Walmart for $19.82.