Game of Life Enters Digital Age

Even the (board) Game of Life, the longtime staple of family rec room shelves, is going digital.

Engadget shares that the dollar bills will disappear from a new version of Life and be replaced by an "electronic banking unit" called a LIFEpod and, get this, a personal assistant. Not really a real-life approach to money for those of us without personal assistants.

The game's makeover also jettisons the spinning wheel for four distinct life paths what will be in the "Twists and Turns" edition. The winner not only has the most wealth, but accrued "life points," too. And to counter the reliance on credit and the loss of actually counting dollars with kids' own hands, the game comes with Visa's financial literacy curriculum. Hmm. I'm not convinced this is the right direction for kids to learn the value of money in life, but I'll save final judgment until I check out the game.

For sure, the game will put more money in some hands, namely Hasbro's Parker Brothers. The new version will cost $35, rather than about $13 for current board game.