Rich Uncle Milburn Pennybags a.k.a. Mr. MonopolyIt seems that the drive for immediate gratification has corrupted yet another element of my childhood.   Maybe I’m just a nostalgic atavist, but when I learned (from Dede) that the newest versions of Monopoly use plastic instead of paper money, I was crushed.

Yup, rather than shipping with traditional compliment of $15,140 in cash, Monopoly’s colorful paper currency has now been replaced with 5 shiny debit cards that you swipe in a digital reader when purchasing properties, paying rent, or making other transactions.

That’s just disturbing.

Sure, it’s just a board game, but it always had an educational aspect as well.   Monopoly was the first exposure most of us had to handling cash, investing in property, saving for improvements, negotiating power deals, entering into financial partnerships, and planning for future expenses — like making sure you’ve got enough money to withstand the fiscal devastation should you fail to successfully hopscotch through your brother’s "Hotel Row" via Community Chest, Luxury Tax, or one of those blasted railroads.

So, do you feel that debit cards ruin the classic game or does the electronic angle give a tired old game a compelling new twist?   Post a comment and let us know what your take is on this!

Related Trivia:   Extra bonus points to whoever can correctly give the formal name of Monopoly’s mustached mascot.   (No fair Googling the answer!)

Update:   Discover the answer to the Monopoly trivia question!
 

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