Ms. Monopoly Explained

Ms. Monopoly
Italic Title:yes
Genre:Board game
Publisher:Hasbro
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+

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.

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 in Ms. Monopoly. 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.[1] [2]

In addition, the game differs from regular Monopoly in that properties are replaced by inventions women created or contributed to, including Wi-Fi, to which Hedy Lamarr and Radia Perlman contributed;[3] modern shapewear by Spanx founder Sara Blakely;[4] and chocolate chip cookies, invented by Ruth Graves Wakefield.[5] Tokens have been replaced with new ones: a notebook and pen, a jet, a glass, a watch, a barbell, and Ms. Monopoly's white hat.[6] Chance and Community Chest cards also provide different payouts between genders, sometimes higher for either men or women.[7] Jail and luxury taxes are maintained from the regular game.

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.[4] Hasbro promoted Ms. Monopoly as the first game "where women make more than men".[8] In a statement, Hasbro said that the game provides an environment in which "women have an advantage often enjoyed by men".[1]

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.[8] Madeleine Kearns of National Review called it "patronizing pointlessness".[9] 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.[2] 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.[10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: In the new game of Monopoly, women make more than men. Asmelash. Leah. CNN. 10 September 2019. November 15, 2019. 2 November 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191102204109/https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/10/us/hasbro-ms-monopoly-trnd/index.html. live.
  2. Web site: Ms. Monopoly is supposed to enpower women. Critics say it does the opposite. Nova. Annie. September 13, 2019. CNBC. en. November 15, 2019. November 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191113105247/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/13/ms-monopoly-is-supposed-to-empower-women-critics-abound.html. live.
  3. Web site: Women inventors, long overlooked, are churning out more patents than ever. Lou. Michelle. Griggs. Brandon. March 26, 2019. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20200517105235/https://www.cnn.com/2019/03/26/health/woman-inventors-patents-gender-disparity-trnd/index.html. May 17, 2020. December 12, 2019. live.
  4. Web site: Ifeanyi . KC . 'Ms. Monopoly' is not as patronizing as Hasbro's version for millennials, but it's not empowering either . Fast Company . November 20, 2019 . September 13, 2019 . November 9, 2019 . 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 . live .
  5. Web site: Chocolate Chip Cookie Day and the accidental origin of this American staple. Roth. Jeremy. White. Jamie K.. 4 August 2019. CNN. https://web.archive.org/web/20191211210901/https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/04/us/chocolate-chip-cookie-history-trnd/index.html. 11 December 2019. December 12, 2019. live.
  6. Web site: Hasbro takes on the gender pay gap with new Ms. Monopoly game. Chappell. Carmin. September 10, 2019. CNBC. en. December 12, 2019. October 29, 2019. 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. live.
  7. Web site: I Played Ms. Monopoly With My Family – Here's How It Went. 2019-12-28. Sweatpants & Coffee. en-US. 2020-04-05. 2020-08-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20200814203225/https://sweatpantsandcoffee.com/played-ms-monopoly-dont/. live.
  8. Web site: Thurm . Eric . Ms. Monopoly Creates a World Where No One Wins . The New York Times . November 20, 2019 . October 24, 2019 . October 31, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191031161508/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/24/opinion/ms-monopoly-rules.html . live .
  9. Web site: Kearns. Madeleine. Ms. Monopoly — the World's Dumbest Board Game. September 12, 2019. National Review. en-US. November 15, 2019. December 6, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201206193340/https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/09/ms-monopoly-worlds-dumbest-board-game/. live.
  10. Pilon . Mary . The Misplaced Feminism of Ms. Monopoly . The New Yorker . December 15, 2019 . September 11, 2019 . September 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190927142044/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-misplaced-feminism-of-ms-monopoly . live .

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Ms. Monopoly".

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