Quickie: Why This Game Is Most Likely to Ruin Your Couples Game Nights

Friendly competition or full-on brawl?

I admit it: I can be extremely competitive when I play Scrabble. I’m a sore loser, a sore winner, and I’ve been known to invite someone to step outside if I get pissed off enough during a game. Some people I know get just as worked up about chess, and poker definitely conjures the beast in others. But, according to a study conducted by Z-Man Games, for most people, the game that brings out the absolute worst in them is Monopoly. In fact, this game has caused so much conflict that 44 percent of the 2,000 people surveyed report that it’s been banned from their game nights.

“Competition brings out the best in some people but the worst in others.”

Why does Monopoly have this dubious distinction? It’s way too disruptive because it causes competitive and unfriendly behavior, according to 20 percent of survey respondents. The most common behaviors cited were someone walking away from the game because they were losing (46 percent), accusations of cheating (44 percent), and players having arguments (44 percent) or even getting into fisticuffs (11 percent) over the game.

“Competition brings out the best in some people but the worst in others,” said Justin Kemppainen, Director of Brand Management at Z-Man Games. “This can manifest in small ways, like low-level grumping and sulking while playing, but it can blow up into shouting and strife, which can ruin a gaming experience. Looking beyond just competitive games could be better for your gaming group to avoid conflict.”

Other games that study participants say have been banned from their game nights because of bad behavior are Uno (37 percent) and Sorry! (27 percent).

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Source:

Melore, C. (2021, June 2). Banned from game night: ‘Monopoly’ leads to the most fights among family, friends. Study Finds. https://www.studyfinds.org/game-night-monopoly-banned-causes-most-fights/