Why all the hate for monopoly?
A recent article in wired magazine talks about settlers, but also ditches on monopoly.
Some people would rather play monopoly than learn a new game, even if the new game might be more enjoyable. Is that so bad? Do we really want these people in our hobby?
I enjoy microbrews, homebrews, and specialty beer. Still, bud light outsells my top 100 favorite beers put together. You will never see me suggesting that everyone stop drinking bud light and try a handful of micros. I'll occasionally suggest to a friend that I think seems inclined to like micros that he should try one, but I wouldn't wish it on the masses.
Why? Because if a bunch of people who like bland beer are suddenly drinking microbrews, what do you think gradually happens to the quality of the microbrews?
I'm happy with board games being a niche hobby, just like I'm happy that people think i'm a beer snob, or that I drink beer you need a knife and fork to eat.
I don't like monopoly but I am glad it exists for the same reason I am glad bud light exists.
Most hobbies have a pretty similar split between the hardcore and the casual. I like driving muscle cars when I get a chance (my father has a cobra, one of my friends drives a suped up mustang, my wife and I go test driving for fun once in a while) but the sports car industry does not want casual dabblers like me in their market. Why? because instead of wanting more power, acceleration, etc. , I would be asking for better gas mileage, heated seats, and a lower price. Look at what happened to Muscle cars in the 70s when they tried to make them appeal to the everyman instead of car fanatics. Environmental controls hurt too, but mostly the ghettoized mustangs from the early 70s until the early 2000s are a result of trying to increase the appeal of the brand at the expense of quality.
Just some rambling thoughts.... but you can count me as one person who is happy that there are 72 different versions of monopoly available, but also glad that you can buy heroscape and other good stuff at megamarts everywhere.