Do Not Pass GO

At first glance the relationship seems to make sense, but then you notice the slimy trail of introducing the concept of using credit to a younger audience and it makes you throw-up a little in your mouth.

The deal struck between Visa and Hasbro to introduce their credit cards into the worlds of ‘Monopoly‘ and ‘The Game of Life‘ smacks of the tobacco industry using candy cigarettes as a way to familiarize brand colors and box designs with the activity of smoking to the youth of an earlier generation. The free use of credit cards in board games could certainly influence younger players to think that using credit indiscriminately is ‘fun’ and holds little consequence.

Until using the credit card in the Life game loses you ‘life points’ for breaking up a marriage or not being able to retire — or unless getting a bad credit score from over-using the Monopoly card prevents you from buying new property and allows the banker to repossess the little silver car gamepiece you’re moving around the board — I’ll stick with thinking this is a bad idea.