Monopoly memories

Christmas will soon be here and apart from the food, gifts and time off work; it is a time for giving and playing the obligatory board games. The game we play at this time, in fact all year through is, Monopoly. It seems my experiences are reflected in others when I talk about playing this game. My son loves this game and is so competitive, he hates loosing. I tell him it's just a game, but secretly I love to win too!

What are your memories/ feelings about this game? Maybe you have never heard of it, though I doubt it. Did you know it originated in the United States in 1903!

Do you change the rules? Do you have family fights? What are your favourite sites/ properties? How long have you had yours? What format is it in? My son has a PlayStation 3 version, where he plays AI characters, which he names as people in his life.

So, go on, tell us your Monopoly memories.

One memory that stands out to me is one of my friends and I, broke the bank once. It was crazy lol. Literally there was no money left in the bank, he won that game though lol xD

For some reason our Clue props got mixed in with the Monopoly set. My favorite piece was the monkey wrench.

Breaking the bank is all too real. I bet they don't play this game in Greece; or if they do, the bank refuses to pay out.

I know what you mean - my son uses a small metal cast Doctor Who Tardis for his piece. Whereas mine would be car. I like to make sound effects as I go around the board.

A cruel comment about Greece, Michael, lol.

A wonderful game that, unfortunately, has been marred for me in recent years as I have been condemned to the "Monopoly Junior" version! I do my best to laugh along and look like I'm having a good time, but it's just not the same somehow....

We have the classic version too and I have always loved it. I have always been the ship, myself.

All the best

^
I should have known you'd be the ship. When you look back through your poems there is an awful lot of water there. I guess if it wasn't a ship, it would have been a surfboard.

We have a classic board too. It was Claire's from when she was a girl. We all have to wear white gloves when playing to save damaging the antique materials. lol

My son has a few themed sets too: The Simpsons is a favourite. His best property is the 'Jazz Hole' whenever he lands on this he clicks his fingers in a jazz style.

I may have to look for the Simpsons board. I've played different themes, but the original is still my favorite.

Loved it when I could get all four RR, or the satisfaction of getting both Park Place and Broadway!
Actually, my favorite card was "get out of jail free," because I'd sell it to my brother. Even back then I was aspiring.

Michael - I had never really thought about it until you mentioned that - I really do seem to have a recurring theme there, don't I? Funny, oftentimes I feel rather queasy when out on the open ocean...

I had a bit of a geek phase and bought a Star Wars monopoly set, haven't really played it often though, I am too consigned to Monopoly junior with my youngest daughter. She bought it from a boot sale, half the pieces missing and no rule book.

Probably my funniest memory from playing monopoly at xmas was in my early twenties, we decided to add drinking shots of Jack Daniels to the game. If you roll a double you have to drink a double, if you land in Jail you had to drink a shot for each turn you were in jail. If you landed on free parking you had to drink a shot. If you pulled the card 'second prize in beauty contest' you had to drink two doubles. By the end of the game we were that drunk we could hardly count and one of us was using a hotel as a piece, going around the board at least once without us noticing.

My favorite Monopoly memory was from this last year, playing it in Guatemala with the other people on the mission trip. Let me tell you, we can serve Jesus together like nobodies business, but you put Monopoly out and the freakin' gloves come off.

Brutal.

I have never played Monopoly on Christmas!! Dont you have relatives to talk to, to ask about stuff and spend a day or two with?

You can spend a lot of quality time with your relatives (especially kids) on a board game

Im sure you can on an ordinary weekend, but not on Christmas or any major holidays . There is so much more to do than play a game when you have your cousins, uncles, godmothers and so on over for a day or two.. When you have to help your mom to set the table, to bring in wood for the fireplace or simply take the dog for a walk with a family member... I couldn't care less for presents for I knew that I can ask my father for anything anytime and would get it, but I always cherished the moments as we talked and listen to each other...

This activity is great & I would not dream of judging you for your choices.

I liked the shoe.
Alfred I never played on Christmas either..lol
My sister and her kids go to the movies...I never did that either.
I loved Monopoly though.
***sneaking out of this now

When my son was still a child, we would often play Monopoly on Sunday afternoons, with tea and biscuits on the side. I remember it would go on and on, lol! I so loved to play games with him, had all kinds of them, to stimulate his brains to the max. He now has an analytical mind (software engineer) and for a hobby he writes books, so both sides of the spectrum are developed!! :)

My biggest memory of this game is multiple, the first being about three years after I moved to Philadelphia, myself and four kids that were in my youth program started a game on my porch at about 7 at night, and the game ended at 3 in the morning, we had a blast, don't even remember who won, but we learned a lot about each other and our circumstances just from playing the game....the other memory I have was in a monopoly tournament that was put on to raise money for M. S. The only reason I entered (10.00), was because my Aunt who had raised me was crippled...anyhow, there were 64 entrants with 150 1st place, 75 second 25 third....I actually ended up winning and gave the money back....so that really felt good....it's a fun game, but not as exciting as chess is for me, but a great family game.

Bob, that is a wonderful memory and the fact you won and gave your winnings away is marvelous. You are right about discovering things about other players and indeed yourself when playing. Now, I don't mind loosing, but if the winner is going to run around the living room with whooping and clapping, then I find that difficult. My son will play the game right out to the bitter end no matter what. He won't rest until every hotel and house is sold and properties mortgaged. A family games will last for hours.

We used to fight over the playing pieces... mostly the horse or car. No-one wanted to get the iron, or the thimble. When we played with the older kids they'd trick us into getting the worst pieces.

of course this was either at school or during gatherings with our parents friends families.

^^^^^^^

Koan

The whole point of our xmas monopoly was so that we didn't have to talk to the family,

Us drunkards could go to our corner, once monopoly was done we would get the playing cards out until the small hours. In fact xmas would go something like this

Wake up hungover from xmas eve party

open presents and give presents to immediate family

wait for rest of family to show up, (the neighbours locking their doors and barricading the windows was the sign that they were on their way)

Go down the pub whilst some poor sod stayed behind to cook.

Come back and eat dinner

Fall asleep

wake up in time for monopoly

play cards until everybody else had naffed off

eat pickles and cold meats even though still stuffed from dinner.

Pass out until boxing day late morning.

"Us drunkards"

What drankards means?

My older siblings always took turns at being the banker. One of them always always won. it wasn't until years later that I realised they were bank robbers.

Each year we would get a new board game. Mum would always get us the originals but I recall many of my friends receiving Pokemon monopoly or Harry Potter Cluedo. I was envious at the time!

Drunkards means a collection of people who drink far too much together and are usually a pain in the arse.

My girlfriend loves to play monopoly but it bores me to death so only play it often enough to keep her happy. Christmas day I have to play and might have to give in one more time each year with her to shut her up lol I must admit the electronic one does make it more bearable as it takes less time :)

Mel, Jessica got the Harry Potter clue game. We loved it - played so many times we recognized cards by their wear edges.