Hasbro adds Visa to Game of Life

As if the American public's taste for credit isn't overwhelming enough, plastic has now invaded even our board games. Hasbro Inc. (NYSE: HAS), marketer of the Game of Life, is incorporating the Visa card into its latest version, THE GAME OF LIFE: Twist & Turns.

The card will replace cash in board transactions. Building on their 'Life takes Visa' campaign, the credit card company entered into a two-year deal to co-brand the nation's second most popular board game.

Playing the game will no longer be a matter of accumulating money. Each player will gain credit for both financial windfalls and life experiences, as tabulated by an electronic device that updates the card value. Yes, players will be able to run-up debt, although I wasn't able to find information about the interest rate charged.

Protests have been lodged by those concerned about the marketing of credit to the children who play such games. Hasbro claims the game will provide parents the opportunity to teach their children about managing money. Of course, this implies that parents know something about money management themselves.

This product development has sparked rumors (well, truthfully, I made up the following, but it does make a good rumor) that Hasbro plans to auction off the financial processing within Monopoly, as well as spinning off the real estate portion of the game, or using the properties to sell mortgage-backed securities.