Ages ago – and I mean ages – and in another life, I
was at the local Milton Bradley factory taping a brief clip of the production lines. It was a segment for a small cable children’s
show that I produced and shot with a friend.
When I left, they gave me a shiny new game of LIFE, and not
only that, it was their 25th anniversary edition. My own kids were
already grown at that point, so I never opened the game and I set it aside. It
was the early days of Ebay, so who knew? This could be worth something in a few
years!!
Yeah, right. Milton Bradley has long since left the area and I
decided my chances of buying a private island based on the proceeds of selling my
collector’s game had long since evaporated.
So the other day, My Guy and I sliced the box’s cellophane.
First, in spite of memories of playing the game in our youth, was a
read-through of the directions. Directions talking about promissory notes,
stock certificates, and fire insurance. We probably wouldn’t be trotting this
out the next time our eight-year-old twin granddaughters came for a visit.
It is kind of cool having the special edition. The spinning
wheel, buildings, and bridges are all in silver instead of the usual pedestrian
green of ordinary games. We had a pleasant afternoon, even if the spin of the wheel
determined that just like in real life, I was again a teacher, and that My Guy’
profession still meant he earned more than I did.
