Monopoly Madness

Classic board game still has the monopoly

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Abigail Parker

A game of Gatoropoly in which the classic properties of Monopoly are based off of famous Gainesville locations.

Abigail Parker, Copy Editor

As my family and I watched the finale of the documentary series “McMillions,” I have never wanted to play Monopoly more in my life.

The show entraps you into the notorious swindle surrounding the McDonald’s Monopoly game. This fraud surrounded ex cop Jerry Jacobson and how he controlled the winnings of the yearly McDonald’s Monopoly giveaways for over 12 years and stole $24 million. It not only has you on your toes about who did what and how many people participated in this scam, but it also compels you to play Monopoly. 

This compulsion is not a bad thing, though. Over the years, Monopoly has come out with so many editions and ways to play, from a “Game of Thrones” edition to the electronic banking edition. Funnily enough, there was a version of Monopoly released two years ago where the goal is to cheat your way to victory. 

With all of these different ways to play Monopoly, it is impossible to get bored. Completing a game of Monopoly could take hours, but there are fan-made editions that help the process go along faster. Monopoly even made a fast edition they call Speed. In this version, the game takes no more than 10 minutes to finish, which, for Monopoly, is unheard of.

My favorite edition of Monopoly is Gatoropoly, which replaces the standard names of the properties into actual locations in Gainesville. This edition replaces properties such as Boardwalk and Park Place into Tigert Hall and Reitz Union, two well known places on the UF campus. This version is great for families like mine who are huge Gator fans.

Of course, there are still some people who prefer the classic way to play Monopoly, which is just as enjoyable. There’s nothing better than rolling the dice and ending up in free parking where you collect the big stack of cash in the middle of the board. 

Either way you decide to play it, the game is timeless. Despite the game being almost 100 years old, it is still as enjoyable as it was back then.