Kathryn and Anastasia have been bugging me for weeks to play Life® with them. It’s not my favorite game, as I’m more into strategy games like Settlers of Catan, but I was willing to play. We spent an afternoon and played the game of Life®.

We set up the game, picked our career/college tracks, and spun the wheel. We played almost an entire game before we realized that we were supposed to get our salary if we passed the Payday square, not just landed on it. As poor Kathryn had borrowed all the notes from the bank and was about bankrupt, she was thrilled when we discovered the error and started over.

We did have a great time, despite the fact that I was playing a game I didn’t enjoy immensely, and I was thrilled to hear them saying things like, “I’d better buy car insurance in case I have an accident.” It hadn’t occurred to us to introduce the concept of car insurance or home insurance to our kids. Why would we? We hadn’t had a car accident (knock on wood), and we hadn’t had any huge disasters or break-ins at our home (again, knock on that wood for me!). 

What I realized was that, as basic as Life® is, it does teach some valuable concepts.

• As I said before, car insurance and home insurance were new concepts to the girls, and ones that they picked up on immediately.

• Kathryn and Anastasia were all up on their positive financial education (see Money Management Skills for Kids), but we hadn’t really talked about borrowing from the bank. Not only did they have to borrow from the bank to pay for college (a more and more realistic scenario with the rising costs of higher education), but they had to pay back – and pay back with interest.

• Anastasia kicked butt both times we played, and one of the reasons was because she bought stocks. Now, while the Life® version of stocks is a little simplistic (your stock option is a number, and you get money when that number is spun), they got that they couldn’t control how well their stocks performed. I think they also saw it as a worthwhile investment

Now, there were some things I wasn’t too pleased about in playing this game.

• You have to get married. There is no choice not to marry.

• All the men are the same. What happened to celebrating the unique individuality of people?

• You must have kids. 

Now while I get that Life® is a “wholesome” family game, it perpetuates that typical stereotype of go to college, get married, have kids, and live happily ever after. There isn’t anything wrong with that lifestyle for some, but it leaves out a lot of people. What if a child plays Life® and recognizes that the Life® style doesn’t remotely mirror his own life?  How will that make him feel? 

Whether we agree with the non-stereotypical lifestyle or not, there are plenty of people who aren’t living it.  We have divorced parents, gay and lesbian couples raising children, adults who have chosen not to marry, couples who have chosen not to have children, and people who have successful careers without going to college. 

I know that Hasbro isn’t going to change the game to be more realistic, but perhaps playing the game is a good opportunity to delve into some of those life choices that Life® doesn’t really give you a choice about.  Maybe saying something like “Gee, I really don’t want to get married” when landing upon the Get Married square helps to present a new, alternate point of view.

So before you dismiss (as I did) Life® as a simplistic game, give it another chance to really teach your children about life: the Hasbro version and the real version.

©2005, Dawn Goldberg and After School Snacks.

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Dawn Goldberg is a Certified Master Virtual Assistant, COO of Assist University, mother, community leader, and former teacher. Her vision is to create a resource that helps parents find ways to enjoy valuable, constructive time with their children every day. Contact her at angel@virtualangel.biz or visit www.afterschoolsnacks.com.