Hasbro, the company that manufacture the iconic board game have claimed that the reason so many games of Monopoly take hours and hours to finish is because the people playing haven’t read the rules.
A little known, but apparently vital rule that so many of us aren’t aware of actually keeps the game from going on too long.
Monopoly rules state that once a player lands on a space, Park Lane for example, but does not choose to purchase it, an auction must take place.
The official rules actually state: “Whenever you land on an unowned property you may buy that property from the Bank at its printed price. You receive the Title Deed card showing ownership; place it face-up in front of you.
“If you do not wish to buy the property, the Banker sells it at auction to the highest bidder. Any player, including the one who declined the option to buy it at the printed price, may bid. Bidding may start at any price.”
As if the people at Hasbro coming down from their metaphorical Mount Sinai bearing their inscribed tablet of rules of which this hitherto largely unknown one has apparently always existed isn’t proof enough that every game you’ve ever played is wrong, a man on his computer has started a Facebook group just to make sure.
Johnny Nexus (he sounds like the silent, eight member of The Avengers who never quite made the cut) editor of the London-based Near Miss blog has started The Campaign For Real Monopoly. He says that playing by the full and proper rules is more fun anyway.
“Firstly, it speeds up the game as it enables the quicker collection of a matched set of streets,” he said.
“Secondly, it makes the game much more interesting by massively increasing the interaction between players.
“Thirdly, it makes the game much more skillful, since it is now more dependent on your ability to trick, bluff and manage the other players.”
He also laid the blame for the lack of understanding about this auction rule at the feet of parents everywhere.
“Your mother – who never read the rules but was instead taught them by her father – taught you, and one day you will teach your children, again without reading the rules first. She passed on broken rules to you and you’ll pass them on to your kids.”
Not bloody likely, Mr Nexus! I’ve not played a game of Monopoly since I was six-years-old and my sister tried to poke one of my eyes out with the thimble.
I’ve lived every day since to its fullest.
It would seem that some people still do play Monopoly however as the game has reportedly sold over 275 million units in 111 countries across the globe since it first appeared in stores in 1935.
Image: Getty
