Ms. Monopoly
{{short description|Board game}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox game
| title = Ms. Monopoly
| italic title = yes
| genre = Board game
| image = File:Ms. Monopoly.webp
| image_size = 300px
| caption = The box art for the original release
| publisher = Hasbro
| date = {{start date and age|2019}}
| players = Minimum of 2, maximum of 6
| setup_time = 2–5 minutes
| playing_time = 30-180 minutes
| random_chance = High (dice rolling, card drawing)
| ages = 8+
| skills = {{unbulleted list|Negotiation|Resource management|Financial management|Strategy}}
}}
Ms. Monopoly is a version of Monopoly that recognizes inventions that women created or contributed to and gives bonuses to female players. It was released by Hasbro in 2019. Upon release, the game was criticized for its gameplay mechanics of giving bonuses to female players, as well as ignoring the original Monopoly's creator.
The game replaces Rich Uncle Pennybags, the mascot on most Monopoly versions, with a young woman described as his niece. As part of the game's rollout, Hasbro sent three teenage girls a grant of $20,580 each to invest in their own inventions. Hasbro promoted Ms. Monopoly as the first game "where women make more than men".{{cite web |last1=Thurm |first1=Eric |title=Ms. Monopoly Creates a World Where No One Wins |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/opinion/ms-monopoly-rules.html |website=The New York Times |accessdate=November 20, 2019 |date=October 24, 2019 |archive-date=October 31, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191031161508/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/opinion/ms-monopoly-rules.html |url-status=live }} In a statement, Hasbro said that the game provides an environment in which "women have an advantage often enjoyed by men".
Gameplay
This is a variation of the game Monopoly, so only differences from standard gameplay will be listed.
Money bonuses are provided to female players. Women get $1,900 at the start of the game and receive $240 salary when passing “Go,” whereas men start with $1,500 and receive a $200 salary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/us/hasbro-ms-monopoly-trnd/index.html|title=In the new game of Monopoly, women make more than men|last=Asmelash|first=Leah|website=CNN|date=10 September 2019|access-date=November 15, 2019|archive-date=2 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191102204109/https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/us/hasbro-ms-monopoly-trnd/index.html|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/ms-monopoly-is-supposed-to-empower-women-critics-abound.html|title=Ms. Monopoly is supposed to enpower women. Critics say it does the opposite|last=Nova|first=Annie|date=September 13, 2019|website=CNBC|language=en|access-date=November 15, 2019|archive-date=November 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191113105247/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/ms-monopoly-is-supposed-to-empower-women-critics-abound.html|url-status=live}} Chance and Community Chest cards also provide different payouts between genders, sometimes higher for either men or women.{{Cite web|url=https://sweatpantsandcoffee.com/played-ms-monopoly-dont/|title=I Played Ms. Monopoly With My Family – Here's How It Went|date=2019-12-28|website=Sweatpants & Coffee|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-05|archive-date=2020-08-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814203225/https://sweatpantsandcoffee.com/played-ms-monopoly-dont/|url-status=live}}
The buyable properties are replaced with "inventions" representing technology women created or contributed to, including Wi-Fi, to which Hedy Lamarr and Radia Perlman contributed;{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/26/health/woman-inventors-patents-gender-disparity-trnd/index.html|title=Women inventors, long overlooked, are churning out more patents than ever|last1=Lou|first1=Michelle|last2=Griggs|first2=Brandon|date=March 26, 2019|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200517105235/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/26/health/woman-inventors-patents-gender-disparity-trnd/index.html|archive-date=May 17, 2020|access-date=December 12, 2019|url-status=live}} modern shapewear by Spanx founder Sara Blakely;{{cite web |last1=Ifeanyi |first1=KC |title='Ms. Monopoly' is not as patronizing as Hasbro's version for millennials, but it's not empowering either |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90402101/ms-monopoly-is-not-as-patronizing-as-hasbros-version-for-millennials-but-its-not-empowering-either |website=Fast Company |accessdate=November 20, 2019 |date=September 13, 2019 |archive-date=November 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191109153049/https://www.fastcompany.com/90402101/ms-monopoly-is-not-as-patronizing-as-hasbros-version-for-millennials-but-its-not-empowering-either |url-status=live }}{{Citation|title=Game Review {{!}} Ms. Monopoly from Hasbro| date=10 September 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiPBAGvt7Uw|language=en|access-date=December 14, 2019|archive-date=January 25, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200125040707/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiPBAGvt7Uw|url-status=live}} and chocolate chip cookies, invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/04/us/chocolate-chip-cookie-history-trnd/index.html|title=Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and the accidental origin of this American staple|last1=Roth|first1=Jeremy|last2=White|first2=Jamie K.|date=4 August 2019|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211210901/https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/04/us/chocolate-chip-cookie-history-trnd/index.html|archive-date=11 December 2019|access-date=December 12, 2019|url-status=live}} Tokens are replaced with new ones: a notebook and pen, a jet, a glass, a watch, a barbell, and Ms. Monopoly's white hat.{{Cite web|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/hasbro-takes-on-the-gender-pay-gap-with-new-ms-monopoly-game.html|title=Hasbro takes on the gender pay gap with new Ms. Monopoly game|last=Chappell|first=Carmin|date=September 10, 2019|website=CNBC|language=en|access-date=December 12, 2019|archive-date=October 29, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029235222/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/10/hasbro-takes-on-the-gender-pay-gap-with-new-ms-monopoly-game.html|url-status=live}}
There are no houses, and instead of hotels, there are "headquarters." Players may buy headquarters for their inventions as soon as they have a color set. Headquarters may not be sold back to the Bank.
Inventions cannot be mortgaged; instead, players may sell their inventions back to the Bank at any time for their face value. Inventions with headquarters on them may be sold or traded without removing the headquarters from them. If an invention with a headquarters is sold to the Bank, the next player to acquire the invention from the Bank (either by landing on it and buying it or by winning it in an auction) gets the headquarters for free.
Railroads are replaced with "ride shares." These are no longer buyable properties, but instead when a player lands on one, they move their token to the next ride share space for free.
The game ends when all the inventions have been purchased. Then, each player collects rent from the Bank for each of their inventions, and the player with the most money wins.
Jail and tax spaces are maintained from the original game.
{{Monopoly board layout
|Edition =
|Banner = Ms.MONOPOLY
|corner_1 = Go
(collect $240 for women, $200 for men)
|corner_2 = In Jail/Just Visiting
|corner_3 = Free Parking
|corner_4 = Go To Jail
|spaces_horizontal = 9
|spaces_vertical = 9
|Color_101 = SaddleBrown |Space_101 = Mediter-ranean Avenue
$60
|Color_102 = |Space_102 = Community Chest
|Color_103 = SaddleBrown |Space_103 = Baltic Avenue
$60
|Color_104 = |Space_104 = Income Tax
(pay $200)
|Color_105 = |Space_105 = Ride Share
|Color_106 = SkyBlue |Space_106 = Oriental Avenue
$100
|Color_107 = |Space_107 = Chance
|Color_108 = SkyBlue |Space_108 = Vermont Avenue
$100
|Color_109 = SkyBlue |Space_109 = Connecticut Avenue
$120
|Color_110 = |Space_110 =
|Color_111 = |Space_111 =
|Color_112 = |Space_112 =
|Color_201 = |Space_201 =
|Color_202 = |Space_202 =
|Color_203 = |Space_203 =
|Color_204 = DarkOrchid |Space_204 = St. Charles Place
$140
|Color_205 = |Space_205 = Electric Company
$150
|Color_206 = DarkOrchid |Space_206 = States Avenue
$140
|Color_207 = DarkOrchid |Space_207 = Virginia Avenue
$160
|Color_208 = |Space_208 = Ride Share
|Color_209 = Orange |Space_209 = St. James Place
$180
|Color_210 = |Space_210 = Community Chest
|Color_211 = Orange |Space_211 = Tennessee Avenue
$180
|Color_212 = Orange |Space_212 = New York Avenue
$200
|Color_301 = Red |Space_301 = Kentucky Avenue
$220
|Color_302 = |Space_302 = Chance
|Color_303 = Red |Space_303 = Indiana Avenue
$220
|Color_304 = Red |Space_304 = Illinois Avenue
$240
|Color_305 = |Space_305 = Ride Share
|Color_306 = Yellow |Space_306 = Atlantic Avenue
$260
|Color_307 = Yellow |Space_307 = Ventnor Avenue
$260
|Color_308 = |Space_308 = Water Works
$150
|Color_309 = Yellow |Space_309 = Marvin Gardens
$280
|Color_310 = |Space_310 =
|Color_311 = |Space_311 =
|Color_312 = |Space_312 =
|Color_401 = Green |Space_401 = Pacific Avenue
$300
|Color_402 = Green |Space_402 = North Carolina Avenue
$300
|Color_403 = |Space_403 = Community Chest
|Color_404 = Green |Space_404 = Pennsylvania Avenue
$320
|Color_405 = |Space_405 = Ride Share
|Color_406 = |Space_406 = Chance
|Color_407 = Blue |Space_407 = Park Place
$350
|Color_408 = |Space_408 = Luxury Tax
(pay $100)
|Color_409 = Blue |Space_409 = Boardwalk
$400
|Color_410 = |Space_410 =
|Color_411 = |Space_411 =
|Color_412 = |Space_412 =
}}
Reception
Reception towards Ms. Monopoly was mostly negative upon its announcement. Eric Thurm, the author of "Avidly Reads: Board Games", said the game created a "surface-level fantasy world" where women succeed simply because of their gender. Madeleine Kearns of National Review called it "patronizing pointlessness".{{Cite web|last=Kearns|first=Madeleine|url=https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/09/ms-monopoly-worlds-dumbest-board-game/|title=Ms. Monopoly — the World's Dumbest Board Game|date=September 12, 2019|website=National Review|language=en-US|access-date=November 15, 2019|archive-date=December 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206193340/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/09/ms-monopoly-worlds-dumbest-board-game/|url-status=live}} Queens College's philosophy department head Christine Sypnowich said it was "unhelpful to portray women as needing special advantages." Jennifer Borda, an associate professor specializing in feminist studies at the University of New Hampshire, suggested that it would be more suitable if male players instead faced challenges women face in the workplace. Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists, criticized the game for failing to recognize Lizzie Magie, who invented The Landlord's Game, the precursor to Monopoly.{{cite magazine |last1=Pilon |first1=Mary |title=The Misplaced Feminism of Ms. Monopoly |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-misplaced-feminism-of-ms-monopoly/ |magazine=The New Yorker |accessdate=December 15, 2019 |date=September 11, 2019 |archive-date=September 27, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927142044/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-misplaced-feminism-of-ms-monopoly |url-status=live }}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{bgg|289363}}
{{monopoly}}