Lifestreaming is so last season
Long-time self-proclaimed web guru, PR flack and failed architect. Former professor.
Manager of corporate communications for Amway. Occasional freelancer. Laughable gardener.
Proud husband and father of two girls that will cost me my life savings and send me to a pauper's grave if the ticking time bomb inside my brain doesn't kill me first.
Beer and bourbon drinker. Soccer buff. Defender of all things Cleveland.
Has launch codes. $1B OBO.
Filed under
moscow
I miss my thimble
Now that "Rich Uncle Pennybags" is finally open for business, here are my first impressions of Monopoly City Streets:
- Slick interface. Think "Command & Conquer meets Google Maps."
- Buying the streets I grew up? Cool. Rebuilding my old school and childhood home? Very cool. Owning high rise condos on Whiskey Island? Now we're talking.
- The fact that no other registered user in the world can touch my properties? Now that is neat. Unless of course, they own a bulldozer.
- Sharing my real estate prowess on Twitter, gravy. Facebook, I wouldn't know...
- The game servers lag a bit and the official blog is a tad preachy, but it's free and I ain't griping.
MCS won't replace the kitchen table. Sure, I miss my thimble, but that's not the point. This isn't "online" Monopoly, which already exists on multiple platforms. Nor is it a mere transformation of an American classic. Rather, a transubstantiation of a ageless brand from gaming tradition to global juggernaut.
Think of it. Monopolists in Moscow, for example, snapped up parcels along Arbat Street faster than they could say "это очень дорого" within hours of the site going live. Save the uber-wealthy, Muscovites can barely afford to stare into store windows along Arbat, much less live there. But as of today, they are virtual landlords, competing with other consumerists around the world in a digital land grab not seen since Second Life. The economics of EverQuest also come to mind. Wake up, marketing! This could be bigger than Mafia Wars, larger than Second Life! We need banners and apps and contests! Maybe I'm wrong. Second Life did lose luster over time. Then again, MCS could be the next "next big thing," spawning countless cottage industries and consulting fees. That's the marketer in me talking. What about the consumer? Perhaps this fad will pass by my next blog post. Or maybe I get hooked. Would I pay for premium play? Will I crave each session as I once did with Scrabulous (now Lexulous) on Facebook? And this is light years ahead of Lexulous... Time will tell. For now, it's fun to frolic in the old 'hood. Think I'll go grab another green house.Comments [0]
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