Monopoly is attempting to rid the game of dodgy, cheating bankers, by designing a voice-activated top hat. Photo / Hasbro.
Monopoly is attempting to rid the game of dodgy, cheating bankers, by designing a voice-activated top hat. Photo / Hasbro.
There's nothing quite like a feisty game of Monopoly to tear a relationship apart.
One minute you're drinking wine, laughing and throwing cash down on Trafalgar Square, and the next you're screaming over taxes owed to a banker you no longer trust.
Monopoly sessions are long, tensions often run high and by the end of it all, your nerves are absolutely fried.
That is unless you're the dodgy banker, who always manages to slip fifties to your adversaries under the table, or double the rent to see how long they can get away with swindling you.
The iconic board game — first launched by Parker Brothers in 1935 — has been at the centre of heated arguments and relationship breakdowns for decades, as players can never truly trust their opponents not to bend the rules.
You better believe that banker didn't forget to give you your $200 "by accident". Photo / Getty Images
Introducing Monopoly: Voice Banking, due to go on sale next month.
Like the bank royal commission, Monopoly is attempting to rid the game of dodgy, cheating bankers, by designing a voice-activated top hat, which handles all financial transactions made by players.
Call it the Siri of board games, this device features the voice of Mr Monopoly, the game's tiny, gentrified mascot.
Nothing about the original game has changed, the rules remain the same as they always were, but now you can relax in the knowledge that your cash isn't going anywhere when you take a toilet break.
How it works
The magic top hat digitally keeps track of your spending throughout the game, to minimise disputes and the potential to cheat.
Say, you've landed on Pall Mall, and you're in the mood for a new holiday home.
Simply press one of four allocated player buttons on the top hat, tell it what you're planning to acquire, and it will deduct the amount from your current balance.
You don't even need to lift a finger, except of course to pick up that sweet Pall Mall card.
When in debt, tell the top hat
If you get done for taxes, or land on someone's property, hit the button again and let Mr Monopoly know that you owe some cash to another player, or the bank itself.
A bonus — or utterly depression — feature of the new game is that Mr Monopoly can scream "YOU'RE BANKRUPT!" when you finally run out of cash — probably not his most tactful move, but it gets the message across.
The first official edition of Monopoly was released by Parker Brothers — which would later become Hasbro — in 1935, and the board game has had countless upgrades since.
New editions are released each year, from Mario Kart or destination themed editions, to more recently a Fortnite and Game of Thrones themed games.
Last year a special Cheaters' Edition game was released — which actively encourages players to lie, cheat and bend the rules.
