{"id":43875,"date":"2011-10-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2011-10-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/famous-board-game-reflects-our-changing-values\/"},"modified":"2011-10-24T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2011-10-24T00:00:00","slug":"famous-board-game-reflects-our-changing-values","status":"publish","type":"sermon-illustrations","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/famous-board-game-reflects-our-changing-values\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous Board Game Reflects Our Changing Values"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The hugely popular board game by Milton Bradley called <em class=\"citation\">The Game of Life<\/em> went through the following variations&mdash;all of which reflect the changing values of our culture:<\/p>\n\n<p>In 1798, before Milton Bradley was born, a board game from England arrived in the U.S. and became popular. It was called <em class=\"citation\">The New Game of Human Life<\/em>. Acquiring virtues sped you through the game while vices slowed you down. Parents were encouraged to play this game with their children. The game&#39;s main point was, &quot;Life is a voyage that begins at birth and ends at death. God is at the helm, fate is cruel, and your reward lies beyond the grave.&quot;<\/p>\n\n<p>In 1860, Milton Bradley invented a simple board game and called it <em class=\"citation\">The Checkered Game of Life<\/em>. The good path included Honesty and Bravery. The difficult path included Idleness and Disgrace. Industry and Perseverance led to Wealth and Success. Bradley described it as &quot;A highly moral game &hellip; that encourages children to lead exemplary lives and entertains both old and young with the spirit of friendly competition.&quot;<\/p>\n\n<p>In 1960, Milton Bradley Company released a commemorative edition, called simply <em class=\"citation\">The Game of Life<\/em>. It sold 35 million copies. In this game you earn money, buy furniture, and have babies. Vices and virtues are non-existent. The winner of the game is the one who at &quot;Life&#39;s Day of Reckoning&quot; makes the most money and retires to Millionaire Acres.<\/p>\n\n<p>In the 1990s Milton Bradley game designers tried to make the game less about money. They emphasized good deeds like saving an endangered species or solving a pollution problem. However, the only reward for these good deeds is cash. You can earn as much by winning at a reality TV show.<\/p>\n\n<p>In the 2011 version, players can attend school, travel, start a family, or whatever they want. If they earn enough points, they can reward themselves with a sports car. There is no end or last square to the game. You can stop any time. The box says, &quot;A Thousand Ways to Live Your Life! You Choose.&quot; Values are up-for-grabs&mdash;you get as many points scuba diving as you get donating a kidney. The description on the website says: &quot;Do whatever it takes to retire in style with the most wealth at the end of the game.&quot;<\/p>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[411],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3363,3559,3726,3889,4072,4100,4222,4435,4488,4491,4707,4843,4909,4925,4972,5102,5226,5240,5302],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-43875","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-absolutes","tax_ctp_tags-character","tax_ctp_tags-culture","tax_ctp_tags-ethics","tax_ctp_tags-godlessness","tax_ctp_tags-greed","tax_ctp_tags-immorality","tax_ctp_tags-materialism","tax_ctp_tags-money","tax_ctp_tags-morality","tax_ctp_tags-principles","tax_ctp_tags-riches","tax_ctp_tags-self-centeredness","tax_ctp_tags-self-indulgence","tax_ctp_tags-significance","tax_ctp_tags-success","tax_ctp_tags-values","tax_ctp_tags-virtue","tax_ctp_tags-worldliness"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Famous Board Game Reflects Our Changing Values - CT Pastors<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/preaching\/sermon-illustrations\/famous-board-game-reflects-our-changing-values\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Famous Board Game Reflects Our Changing Values - CT Pastors\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The hugely popular board game by Milton Bradley called The Game of Life went through the following variations&mdash;all of which reflect the changing values of our culture: In 1798, before Milton Bradley was born, a board game from England arrived in the U.S. and became popular. 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