Gee. Sensitive much?
Newsweek: Russia has banned Poland’s popular, but controversial, Soviet-inspired board game Kolejka, Poland’s state Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) reports.
Kolejka, which translates as “queue”, was branded the “Communist Monopoly” by the country’s media after its release in 2011. The game is inspired by Monopoly, which teaches players about capitalism and the free market, but instead it simulates money dealings in the planned economy of Poland’s Communist past.
The aim of the game is to buy everything on your shopping list before other players do, with everything from food to furniture in short supply. It comes with a set of historical materials, recreating the difficulty of acquiring goods during the Cold War in a country such as Poland. The game also incorporates a black market for goods.
I saw Communist Monopoly in action when I visited Leningrad a long time ago. As soon as people spotted activiy at a little sidewalk kiosk, they hurried to get in long lines before they even knew what was being unpacked. It didn’t matter; there was nothing in the grocery stores; only empty shelves. One kiosk had only cabbage heads. They were gone in minutes. It was depressing. The ice cream “store” only had about five flavors. 🙁
Where and how can I buy one? If Russia is banning it, I want it.
In this game, you don’t go directly to jail, you go directly to gulag…
Wow. I thought The Peoples’ Cube came up with that game article. Didn’t know it was real.