A new game is taking the halls of the school by storm: MonopolyGO. 

A spin on the classic board game, MonopolyGO is the mobile version of Monopoly where, besides building houses and hotels, you can build board-specific “landmarks.” Players can shut down other players’ landmarks, but these landmarks can be protected by shields. In addition, this version of the game has a set number of dice rolls, more of which can be obtained either through certain in-game actions or paying directly through the app.

This feature of being able to steal landmarks has many upperclassmen hooked on the game, with some even spending actual money to obtain more dice rolls. 

“I actually spent $30 on this game so that I could get more rolls,” senior Moctar Dia said.

While the origins of how MonopolyGO became such an addicting game at our school are unknown, due to referral incentives in the game, the percentage of the school population that has installed the game has risen significantly, especially in the senior class. 

“It all started on Monday,” senior Nasim Abdul-Malik said. “I came to school, and I had a field trip. And I was sitting in the front of the school, and all of a sudden when all the other people that are going on a field trip get there, everybody’s just talking about this new game, Monopoly. They were yelling stuff like, ‘Why’d you attack my landmarks?’ ‘Why’d you steal my money?’ I did not understand anything at all.” 

Then one of his friends, Dia, came out to him and urged him to click his shared link. The rest was history.  

“I downloaded the game,” Abdul-Malik said. “But at first, I didn’t pay any mind for the first two days. But then there was one day, I was just sitting at home after school, and I was bored. And I saw a MonopolyGO just there, And I clicked it. And after the first three rolls, I was addicted.”

As MonopolyGO continues to spread in popularity, students have even found themselves creating teams and second accounts, as well as collectively strategizing in-game. Popularity has even risen to the point where gaining levels in MonopolyGO has become a bragging point.

“I have two accounts because I’m really addicted to this game,” Dia said. “I’m about level 870. And there was this one point where I ran out of rolls, and I already spent money on the game, so I had to stop rolling. So I grabbed my brother’s phone, and I started playing there, and I got that account to level 900.”