new monopoly game

New Monopoly board is Google Maps
By Hanna Mills
MX
September 09, 2009 07:55pm
The game will allow players to "buy" streets of their choice, demolish buildings and build new ones / Google Maps
Monopoly launching Google Map game
Players 'buy streets, construct buildings'
'Will attract new breed of gamers'
Keen investors can snap up a luxury home on a prestigious Bondi street or buy a glittering coastal view of the Victorian surf coast from 4am (AEST) tomorrow.

All you need is Monopoly money.

An online version of the popular board game using Google Maps goes live today, with wannabe homeowners expected to snap up the best virtual real estate within hours.

Google Maps and Hasbro are the brains behind Monopoly City Streets, which aims to create a global Monopoly tournament.

Players search for their desired street, buy a property deed card and join the game.

Gaming expert Michael Woods said the virtual game would attract a new breed of video gamers to the web.

"The average age of a gamer is pushing now beyond 30 (and) it's more mature games like this that are driving this new wave of gamers into the market," Woods said.

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Damn it, I had an idea pretty much the same as this about a year ago, although mine was based on buying each country not single streets, oh well, back to the drawing board...

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Agg of London Web expert Lucio Ribeiro said Google should be on the lookout for an influx of map searches designed to cheat the system.

The site also advises players that streets in the likes of North Korea or Israel cannot be bought because government-approved maps were not provided.

Some smaller streets in other nations also can't be bought, but no reason was given for their omission.

RMIT University digital media expert John Lenarcic said the live games of Monopoly could evolve into a new kind of spectator sport.

"I can even foresee a television network possibly turning this into a licensed game show if the crowds start watching the online version," Lenarcic said.

Given its innocuous nature and long history, Monopoly City Streets also had the potential to become a World of Warcraft for the masses, he said.

Links:

Monopoly City Streets - http://www.monopolycitystreets.com/

Monopoly City Streets Blog - http://blog.monopolycitystreets.com/

Hasbro - http://www.hasbro.com