Google and a Monopoly? Say It Ain't So!

Google associated with the word "Monopoly?" You can get that's not something the company wants to hear, except in this case. Google is teaming up with board game manufacturer Hasbro to launch a version of Monopoly that utilizes Google Maps as the game board.

Monopoly City Streets launches on Wednesday and will run for four-months. In theory, anyone can buy any street in the world. It makes me wonder how much my humble street would cost (probably not all that much, compared to say, Wall Street.

New players are given $3 million in Monopoly money. After all, streets in the real world are a lot more expensive than in the original game. Get to it first, you get the street. Miss out on it, and you can make an offer which, if it is not refused within 7 days, is automatically accepted. You can see that people are going to want to login daily, eh?

This all begins Wednesday, and here's what the preview site says:

Welcome to Monopoly City Streets. You versus the world in the biggest live game of MONOPOLY in history!

On the 9th SEPTEMBER, a world of property empire building on an unimaginable scale will be launched! A live worldwide game of MONOPOLY using Google Maps as the game board. The goal is simple. Play to beat your friends and the world to become the richest property magnate in existence.

Own any street in the world. Build humble houses, crazy castles and stupendous skyscrapers to collect rent. Use MONOPOLY Chance Cards to sabotage your mates by building Hazards on their streets.

Which strategy will you employ? Determined drive? Ingenious daring? Intelligent caution? Will you thrive under the pressure of a fast growing global property empire – or will you crumble? Find out if you’ll thrive, or even survive, in the amazing world of MONOPOLY City Streets. It's going to be epic fun!

In a way this is bad timing, you can probably see. With the world in a global recession, there isn't much money like this being thrown around. On the other hand, it might take our minds off of reality.