Monopoly GO! is revealing quite a bit about people with the way they play the game.
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If you’ve been sent a link that says “Play MONOPOLY GO! with me” and completely ignored it because of how scammy it looks, you’re not alone. But don’t worry, it’s legit. And if you give the game a chance, we guarantee you’ll find yourself rolling dice, collecting stickers, and leveling up buildings for hours on end.
WHAT IS MONOPOLY GO?
@monopolygo #rollforriches #monopolygo #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo
Monopoly GO! is a recent viral game adaptation of the classic board game Monopoly and just as fun—if not more. Essentially, you get dice rolls to spend on trying to earn enough money to level up “landmarks” on each level or board on the map (there are over 100 boards!).
You can land on all the classic Monopoly tiles like the street property tiles, where you earn a certain amount of money, “chance” tiles where you get certain advantages, the “Go To Jail” tile where you have to roll doubles to get out or you lose money, the Railroad tiles where you can either destroy someone else’s landmark or steal money from their bank, and more.
@monopolygo how to play #monopolygo #monopoly #gamingtips ♬ original sound – monopolygo
The game is well-made with stunning art and clever themes. It’s also interactive enough to begin and end friendships, what with the various features that allow players to play with each other, whether or not they’re in-game friends, such as being able to collect and trade “stickers”—art cards of various rarities used to complete sticker albums for prizes.
In the months I’ve played and seen my friends and strangers online play, I’ve learned quite a few things about people. And while they might just be biased observations or sweeping generalizations, I’ve gained an interesting look at humanity through how Monopoly GO! has permeated our lives.
We love being rewarded.
@monopolygo how to do it fa$t #monopolygo #luxurylifestyle #rollforriches ♬ original sound – monopolygo
It’s a given. But a large part of why Monopoly GO! is so addicting is the amount of rewards to be earned—large sums of money, dice rolls, and collectible stickers among others. Successful games are those that make players continue to play because there’s always something to look forward to, whether it’s new themes or more rewards.
So, when we’re given a goal with sure rewards, we most likely will do anything to complete it—even spend actual money. I haven’t done it, but I’m sure so many have. The game is pretty generous with its rewards, never too little that you want to stop playing, but never too much that you think it’s easy. Plus, it lets us live out our dreams of being rich enough to buy and renovate properties.
We enjoy a bit of friendly competition (and revenge).
@monopolygo betrayal deep! #monopolygo #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo
A genius feature Monopoly GO! introduced is being able to interact with other players. Tap-and-win games like this one don’t usually have such interaction. When a player lands on a Railroad tile, they can either “Heist” from a player the game chooses and steal their money, or attempt to wreck the landmark of a player they choose (which they then have to fix with game money).
It’s a lot of fun when you’re the one committing the offense, but when someone I knew from high school targeted my landmark fifteen times in a row, it wasn’t as fun. It’s hilarious to do it to someone else, though. Maybe we’re all just predisposed to harmlessly messing around with each other.
People have very different perspectives on how to play the game.
@alyssabsharma Its rough out here yall 😩 #monopolygo #scammers #stevecarrell #games #capcut #monopoly #stickers ♬ ROCKSTAR – DaBaby, Roddy Ricch
In my early days of playing, giving away stickers for free if someone needed it was a no-brainer. Then one day, when I needed a four-star sticker (stickers range from 1 to 5 stars), I asked my friend and to my surprise, they said, “How badly do you want it?”
They eventually promised the sticker to me free of anything in exchange if I didn’t get it from the game after a certain time, but it was the first out of many moments that led me to realize how self-serving we can end up being as people. Even I have fallen victim to thinking that I need something equal or equivalent in exchange for a sticker or else I gain nothing.
People have been selling virtual stickers for up to P300, and that’s just locally. People have also been scammed out of a trade by not sending over a sticker after someone else has sent theirs. An economy of stickers has emerged from this game, and it’s making me wonder if we need to reexamine our values and the mindset we put ourselves in that we have to get to the next level or win the big rewards without having to lose anything, not even the fewest stars. Because what does that say about us as a society, truly?
But when it gets down to it, we do like helping each other.
@monopolygo PSA ! #monopolygo #psa #rollforriches #monopoly ♬ original sound – monopolygo
There is an official Monopoly GO! trading group on Facebook, and countless trades and gifts have occurred across all social media platforms. I’ve had people send me several stickers I needed all at once with no expectation of anything in return, and I enjoy simply giving what someone needs when they need it. A community has risen out of a single-player game, and while we can complete albums and build our empires alone, it’s easier and far more fun to work together.
Try it out for yourself: download on iOS or Google Play and get started on collecting the newly-released album of stickers! Who knows, you might end up being an angel who gives stickers freely or a ruthless, by-any-means-necessary type of tycoon. And then maybe ask yourself what the way you play says about you.
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