Careers Board Game Review

Careers Board Game at a Glance

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By Madison DuPaix, About.com Guide

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Careers is a great family board game in which you need to decide how to reach success. As in real life, you must try to figure out what is the best way for you to reach your final goal. It is a great way for kids to learn the value of not only money, but where other aspects fit in to achieve what you want.

Description of the Board Game

In the game you have to create your own "success formula". This is a mixture of Fame, represented by a STAR, Happiness, represented by a HEART, and Money, represented by a DOLLAR SIGN. The success formula you decide on must add up to 60 points. You can divide these any way between Fame, Money and Happiness. For example, if $10,000 equals one money point, then Fame = 20, Happiness = 20, Money = 20 adds to 60. As long as your total comes to 60, you can try to earn more money, or more happiness and make your formula read however you want. If two people are playing, try setting your formula for 100 points instead of 60.

All players will write down their formula before playing so you know what you are trying to achieve. Then the fun begins.

The board game is made up of eight different occupation paths, such as sports, college, big business and so on. In these occupations you will earn your fame, happiness and money by landing on certain spots. If your formula calls for more fame, or stars, then you want to take the paths that have the most stars on them. You can enter paths more than once to earn what you need. You receive a salary, starting with $10,000, but this amount can change during the game depending on what squares you land on. You collect your salary every time you pass PAYDAY. Your cash on hand is what is counted for your money formula.

There are also special cards you can draw for exciting events, experience cards and opportunity cards. Experience cards may be used in place of throwing the die, and opportunity cards will take you directly to the path you may want to go to.

When you complete any occupation, you mark your sheet under that specific occupation for experience, and you get an experience card. If you go through the path more than once, you can mark 2nd time and you get 2 experience cards.

Completing college does not earn you an experience card, but your salary does increase $20,000, and you get to choose a degree.

Once a player has successfully completed his success formula, he or she wins the game.

What Kids Learn About Money While Playing

The Careers board game is fun for ages 8 and up, and is great for teaching them a little bit about life's journey. Kids will learn that you have to work at a job to get what you want, and that certain rewards are given if things are completed correctly.

Careers Board Game Highlights

A fun part of the Careers board game is bumping. If you land on a space occupied by another player you can either "Bump" them to the park bench, or you can bargain with them to make them pay you a fee, or trade a card, or whatever you want to let them remain on the space they are on. Otherwise they need to go to the park bench and do not get their Payday. If they were on an occupation path while bumped, they do not get their experience.