DETROIT – Just when Monopoly fans thought the removal of the iron game token was the last straw, Hasbro is changing the formula once again.
A new version of the classic board game called "Monopoly Empire", is tailored for the short attention span of today's youth. Changes include real world brands to own. The drastic changes are meant to make the game more appealing to younger children who don't have the patience for the longer version of the game, says Hasbro. The game can be played in as little as 30 minutes.
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Players are no longer collecting properties in the new game, either. It's all about buying and trading the top brands, which opens the door for marketing plays by Xbox, Coke, Samsung and others. One of the tokens is actually a miniature Xbox 360 controller.
Apparently, time is something kids no longer have. That's why Hasbro is making quicker versions of several games, including Boggle and Scrabble.
"Parents and children tell us they want a quick in-and-out, frictionless gaming experience," Jonathan Berkowitz, vice president of marketing at Hasbro, tells The Wall Street Journal. "That's the snackable component."
Between 2004 and 2009, the media consumption of youngsters soared from 1.5 hours a day to 7.5 hours a day, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation study.