Monopoly on the Couch

Does anyone still play board games?

I have to wonder about this after many returns home over many years and noting the number of movies watched, drinks imbibed, sporting events ingested (I will not say “enjoyed”) and debates over politics and culture shouted across living rooms and kitchen tables. In my family, playing board games was very much a part of the deal. My mother taught me how important it was to play a game like Scrabble because of its use as a tool to learn how to spell and discover new words (and also a means to destroy an opponent’s sense of self-worth when they challenged your words and you sent them running to a dictionary to confirm a small victory). I played Scrabble on almost every trip to aunts, uncles and other relatives, along with endless sessions of Sorry!, dominoes, various card games, and the most challenging one for me: Monopoly.

Maybe I started this off on the wrong foot. Monopoly does not seem to be going anywhere. There are endless versions of the game that can still be played on a table with real dice and a real board, along with the online game I discovered and am intrigued by (maybe I should download the app), but I wonder…

As I said, the game was challenging to me. I would often start off with all of my cousins and relatives as we travelled around that square of property until there would only be two of us left. That would be a gentleman who proceeded to destroy me and drain all my assets by the end of the night (the fact that he was also my barber and soon-to-be relation through my brother’s marriage seems apt). He was a genius at reading the game and deciding what should and should not be bought, and how to turn all those trips past Go into more than just a $200 drop in the bucket.

I never beat him, and I never wondered why I never beat him…until very recently. It seems that I have my own system of playing that links up directly with my choice of token. And you all know what those tokens are: top hat, battleship, race car (1930s roadster, actually), iron, thimble, cannon, boot… lantern, wheelbarrow, purse, cat…

Hey, wait a minute. These are not all of the pieces that I remember. I am sure that they are not the pieces that you remember. Well, you better hold on to those memories when you find out that many of the ones on that list have been retired.

Yes, retired. The fans have spoken. After doing a little research on this, I found that everyone has their own preferences. And we all go after them if we get the chance to play a round.

But why do we do this? What does it mean that I prefer the terrier - proper name: Scottie - every time I play? Does it indicate something about my nature that I was not aware of (is there something in you that remains undiscovered)?

I have decided to analyze each piece and form some thoughts about them as identifiers and totems. I will stick with the original six – boot, cannon, thimble, iron, battleship, top hat – with only the dog added as a personal favourite (believe it or not, the racing car, wheelbarrow, and rider and horse were added later). Fans have recently voted about which ones will stay and go. I have my own opinion about this, but I will stay silent about this (perhaps another article might be worth the rant).

Again, an amateur view, but with some interesting insights:

Boot

Untouched by laces, it is a comfortable token for the player who just wants to have a friendly and familiar object in their hands and on the board. You like to have something long term and reliable.

Cannon

Well, look at you! So aggressive over a game without real money that can be played for far too long over a very long weekend. Sorry, that sounded a little hostile... You like to let people know that you are in charge. Stay strong.

Thimble

A cautious and careful piece. I think that the fact that we cannot fit it over a finger - unless you happen to slip it over your extra-small pinky or are a child - is telling. Keeping your distance seems to be important to you. Can also be used as a drink receptacle for an action figure.

Iron

Order and control are on your mind. Note that it is a very old-fashioned device that would have to be heated over time and then put to use. A disciplined player would grab this one right away to make a clear point.

Battleship

Again, it is easy to see it as an aggressive piece, but I feel that this would be something more likely to end up in a collection of toy soldiers or ships-in-bottles than in a weaponry cache. You see the game as another thing to add to what you have already gathered.

Top Hat

So elegant to have it in the game. Mr. Monopoly could not wear it better than anyone who pulls it from the collection and claims it as their own. You are styling and see this game as another way of making a statement.

And finally...

Dog

You have absolutely no chance of winning the game and should give up before you are completely destroyed and humiliated over another long holiday season.

Sorry, Scottie. It is very emotional for me.

*

Thank you for reading!

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You can find more poems, stories, and articles by Kendall Defoe on my Vocal profile. I complain, argue, provoke and create...just like everybody else.

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