Ghettopoly
| Designer(s) | David Chang |
|---|---|
| Players | 2–8 |
| Setup time | 5–15 minutes |
| Playing time | about 3 hours |
| Random chance | Medium |
| Skill(s) required | Simple mathematics (such as counting, finding percentages and multiplication); Social skills; Negotiation |
Ghettopoly is a parody of Monopoly released in 2003. Invented by David Chang,[1] it uses Monopoly-like mechanics in the atmosphere of a caricaturized United States ghetto.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay and differences from Monopoly
The four railroad properties are replaced by liquor stores. Other properties include a massage parlour, a peep show and a pawn shop. The Community Chest and Chance squares become Ghetto Stash and Hustle squares, while taxation squares are replaced by police shakedown and carjacking squares.[2]
Instead of building houses and hotels, property owners can build crack houses and projects. The seven game pieces include: a pimp, a ho, a 40 oz, a machine gun, a marijuana leaf, a crack rock, and a basketball.[2]
[edit] Controversy
The game was criticised as offensively racist by a local chapter of the NAACP[3] and black clergy[4] among others.
The game was pulled from the market by Urban Outfitters, its retailer. Chang still marketed the game without their support. According to Chang's now-defunct website, further such games were planned, including Hoodopoly, Hiphopopoly, and Thugopoly. In October 2003, Hasbro sued David Chang over the game's similarities to Monopoly. In January 2006, Chang was found in contempt of court for failure to produce documents.[5]
The court thus entered a "default judgment" for Hasbro's continued use of "Monopoly" as a trademark, and dismissed Chang's counterclaims, which were to revoke trademark status on "Monopoly". In May, 2006, the court estimated that Chang generated US$879,000 in profits from the sale of Ghettopoly, and that damages of $400,000 were reasonable as reflected in the court documents.[5]
[edit] See also
- Life as a BlackMan (game)
[edit] Notes
- ^ Ghettopoly at BoardGameGeek
- ^ a b Ghettopoly official site (US) cache from the Internet Archive
- ^ "Game's street theme upsets NAACP" — St. Petersburg Times
- ^ "Black leaders outraged at Ghettopoly game at Urban Outfitters" — USA Today
- ^ a b http://www.websupp.org/data/DRI/1:03-cv-00482-58-DRI.pdf
[edit] External links
- "Students outraged over Ghettopoly" — Yale Daily News, the student newspaper of Yale University.
- "Urban Outfitters pulls Ghettopoly" — Yale Daily News
- "Ghettopoly game causes outrage" — CNN
- "Ghettopoly: Is It A Racist, Offensive Game? — Associated Press
- "Ghettopoly game sparks outrage" — BBC
- "Ghettopoly game called racist" — MSNBC
- "Hasbro: Do not pass go, Ghettopoly" — USA Today
- "Ghettopoly A New Game For Your Children?" — Cultural Health News Blog
