Japanese gamers buy up Google’s City Streets
Nearly a month after the launch of Google City Streets, many of Tokyo's hottest properties have been snapped up
Many of today’s parents complain that their kids have abandoned cultural touchstones like checkers and chess for the digital decadence of World of Warcraft and Monster Hunter 3, but now Google has given one of the most popular (and conventional) board games in the world a modern spin.
Google City Streets takes Monopoly to a completely new level, incorporating the Internet giant’s mapping technology to make the entire world the game itself. Launched in September, the game provides each new player with $3 million in electronic funny-money to start buying up the word’s streets. This includes everything from Broadway to the Autobahn to Takeshita Dori, but, as Diego from the Anime Affairs blog points out, many people may be satisfied by simply owning the street they live on in real life.
