It’s time to add a new board to the game night mix!
Hasbro, creators of the classic Mr. Monopoly board game, have announced that they’re releasing a new iteration of the game that celebrates female trailblazers.
The new Ms. Monopoly game replaces the traditional (male) character with a female investor, who, rather than buying up real estate, is set on empowering her fellow woman entrepreneurs.
Instead of purchasing properties as they move around the board, players will be tasked with investing in these women, whose businesses range from inventing groundbreaking scientific advancements to innovating new lifestyle products. But bottom line, everything in the game is created by women.
Ms. Monopoly is also the first-ever game where women who play make more than their male counterparts to start, though men can also earn more by working their way up throughout the game.
When asked about this decision, a spokesperson for the company told PEOPLE they wanted the rule in place to hopefully teach players a “new perspective,” giving women an advantage often enjoyed by men in the real world.
“While the game first and foremost celebrates the accomplishments of female entrepreneurs, there are also game pieces designed to create a conversation around gender equality and reward the important role men play in supporting female empowerment,” the spokesperson said. “We encourage men and women to play as either role within the game to experience a new perspective.”
“Ultimately, we believe the game and its content embodies a positive message that we hope is embraced by a wide variety of audiences,” they added.
In the spirit of Ms. Monopoly, Hasbro surprised three young female entrepreneurs with $20,580 each (the amount of money included in a Monopoly game) to fund their projects and encourage their inventive intuition.
One of the young women who received the gift was Sophia Wang, a 16-year-old from Connecticut. Wang invented a device capable of detecting sinkholes before they occur. After two years of work, her prototype is now 93% accurate and she hopes to get it patented and in the hands of communities in Florida that are vulnerable to sinkholes.
Gitanjali Rao, a 13-year-old from Denver, is another young woman granted the $20,580. She came up with a device that helps detect lead in drinking water, so that individuals can test it themselves and get results sooner. Her goal is to create an inexpensive, easy to use, portable device so that people all around the world can make sure their water is safe to drink.
After studying the harmful effects additives in our food can have on our bodies, the third teen entrepreneur, Ava Canney, a 16-year-old from Ireland, set out to help people make educated decisions about their consumption. She invented a spectrometer that measures the amount of dye in candy and soda.
Ms. Monopoly will be available at most major retailers nationwide for $19.99 and in select countries globally starting in September 2019. You can also pre-order the new board game now.
Source: Read Full Article