It’s not often a bad economy is a good thing for a struggling family, but Jordy and Shari Sopourn found a way to turn their family’s financial frown upside down by creating a game.
But not just any game. A bailout board game that really has been a bail out for the South Florida family.
Jordy was a struggling architect and when business slowed to a crawl at his firm, he turned to creating “Bailout the Game” to teach his kids a lesson in how not to invest.
The objective of “Bailout” is simple. Think monopoly but in reverse.
You are trying to wheel and deal your way into debt like many banks have done in hopes that you get so deep in the hole the government bails you out.
In short, the bank with the most debt wins. Sound familiar?
There are also trivia questions with some famous quotes from presidents and heads of financial institutions. Take the challenge and get it right, and watch your bank’s debt soar.
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The worse the financial decision the better as you wind through a trail that is shaped like a dollar sign.
Players start out as a solvent bank of choice with not-so unrecognizable puns on real life financial institutions. Who wouldn’t want to be “Bankruptcy O’ America” or “Worth Farless?” And you get $2.5 billion in assets to blow.
Don’t forget to assign a bailout banker.
Land on a good investment and you gain money, which is not a good thing. But if you land on a space that requires you to buy some toys from China for your employee daycare center, your medical bills could cost $50 million. Jackpot!
With each roll of the dice, you get to make a financial decision: hostile takeovers, bad investments and you can even bilk investors in Ponzi schemes. Sounds like family fun to us.
Someone get Bernie Madoff’s cell block address because we found his stocking stuffer. You could even hire some guy name Joe the Plumber to fix your corporate headquarters' plumbing issues for $50 million.
Since the games release over the summer, 600 games have been sold at $30 a pop.
That’s not a bad bargain to have a chance to see if you can squander billions like the big boys do in real life.
To find out more about the board game or order your own, visit www.BailouttheGame.com.
