The Game of Life: Board Game Directions

This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate.

There are 7 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources.

This article has been viewed 375,725 times.

If you’re looking for a fun and simple game to play with the whole family, The Game of Life is the perfect choice. Throughout the game, you’ll go through various stages of life, from going to school, starting a career and having a family to retiring as you try to earn more money than other players. This game is really based on luck, so there isn’t a ton of strategy, but it’s quick to set up and perfect for anyone 8 or older to play. Just keep reading for all the rules you’ll need to get started.

The Game of Life Rules

On your turn in The Game of Life, spin the wheel and move the indicated number of spaces forward. Each space triggers an action that either makes you lose or gain money. When all the players reach the end of the board, whoever has the most money is the winner!

Section 1 of 4:

Setting Up The Game of Life

Step 1 Assemble the board and punch the pieces if it’s your first time playing.

Step 2 Shuffle and separate the decks of cards.

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Step 3 Give each player a car, pegs, tokens, and starting money.

Step 4 Choose a banker.

Step 5 Have each player choose to start with Career or College.

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Taking a Turn in The Game of Life

Step 1 Buy Insurance or Stocks if you’re able to afford them.

Step 2 Spin the spinner and move that many spaces.

Step 3 Take the action.

Step 4 Take out a bank loan whenever you’re running low on money.

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The Game of Life Board Spaces

Step 1 Collect your salary when you pass a green Payday square.

Collect your salary when you pass a green Payday square. Collect the salary listed on your Career card or on your Salary card in older versions. If you land exactly on a Payday square, collect your salary plus another $100,000 as a bonus! [10] X Research source

Step 2 Draw an Action card when you land on a gold Action space.

Step 3 Draw a Pet card when you land on the pink paw space.

Step 4 Play the Spin to Win minigame when you land on the spinner icon.

Play the Spin to Win minigame when you land on the spinner icon. Each player puts their circular token next to a number on the "Spin to Win" image in the corner of the board. Then, take the extra, silver token out of the box and place it next to a second number. Spin the spinner until it points to a number someone has chosen, and give them $200,000 from the bank. [13] X Research source

Step 5 Add pegs to your car when you land on Baby spaces.

Step 6 Buy and sell houses on a House space.

Step 7 Stop moving when you hit a red STOP space.

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How to Win The Game of Life

Step 1 Stop moving when you reach the Retire space.

Step 2 Repay your loans plus any interest you owe.

<a href=Step 3 Count your money at the end of the game to see who wins." width="460" height="345" />

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Board Game Experts

Our Family Plays Games, LLC is a family-owned business based in Omaha, Nebraska. Launched in 2018, their mission is to promote growth and awareness of the modern board game hobby and bring more BIPOCs and families into the board game community. In June 2020 they were featured on Good Morning America and have since been featured on NBC News Online, Senet Magazine (UK), Ligadas.com (Brazil), a variety of YouTube programs, podcasts, and on local television. In January of 2022, they launched a second program on their channel, called OFPG Voices to highlight other underrepresented voices in the hobby. In addition, they make special appearances at board game conventions all around the country and work with board game publishers from around the world.

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Board Game Experts

Approach gameplay with a positive mindset. Board games are fun yet strategic. Even if you want to win, preserve the spirit of this wholesome pastime by offering encouragement and support to all gameplayers. Avoid being overly competitive. Cultivating a positive atmosphere will ensure that everyone has a good time.

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Community Q&A

How do I sue for damages? Community Answer

You have to get an action card that says you can file a lawsuit, and then you have to choose a player to sue.

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What if you go to college later in the game, do you keep your first career or change and do you get the 100,000 dollars of debt?

Community Answer

You do still have to pay the 100K. In the newest version of the game, you get the College Career right away when you choose Night School. In the older versions of the game, you keep your first career until the end of the College path when you get a new job.

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How do I choose when buying a house? Community Answer

To buy a house, have someone fan out the cards, then you pick two. Pick one of those two to be your house.

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Different versions of the game of Life have different rules, so always check with the instruction manual for the specific edition you’re playing.

The Game of Life doesn’t have a lot of strategy since a lot of the game comes down to the luck of the draw. Focus on having fun rather than trying to be really competitive during this game.

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  1. ↑http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Life_the_game_of_2000.PDF
  2. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  3. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  4. ↑https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Life,_the_game_of_%281991%29.pdf
  5. ↑https://www.hasbro.com/common/documents/dad261421c4311ddbd0b0800200c9a66/421541C319B9F36910397125043F45A3.pdf
  6. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  7. ↑http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/life.pdf
  8. ↑https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Life_the_game_of_2000.PDF
  9. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  1. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  2. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  3. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  4. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  5. ↑https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Life,_the_game_of_%281991%29.pdf
  6. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  7. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  8. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf
  9. ↑https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/life.pdf
  10. ↑https://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/Life_the_game_of_2000.PDF
  11. ↑https://instructions.hasbro.com/api/download/E4304_en-us_the-game-of-life-game.pdf

About This Article

Reviewed by: Board Game Expert

This article was reviewed by Ashton Wu and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Ashton Wu is a Board Game expert at Shelfside. After delving into the Yugioh tournament community while growing up, Ashton launched himself into the board gaming community in 2014 and went into reviewing board games as a career full-time in 2019. His YouTube channel Shelfside has over 35K subscribers and over 4 million views, assisted by written reviews on the Shelfside website and BoardGameGeek.com. He also consults with gaming companies to build high-quality gaming products. Ashton is a tournament commentator, board game playthrough director, and host of the Shelfside Podcast, where he talks about board games with his business partner, Daniel. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in addition to the Technology Management Certificate. This article has been viewed 375,725 times.

7 votes - 100% Co-authors: 18 Updated: May 4, 2024 Views: 375,725 Categories: Featured Articles | Board Games for Children

To play the Game of Life, first place all of the LIFE tiles face-down next to the game board. Take 4 of those tiles and place them face-down at Millionaire Estates. Separate the game cards into 4 piles—career cards, salary cards, house deed cards, and stock cards—and place the piles next to the board. You should also separate the insurance policies and bank loans into 3 separate piles next to the board. Choose a player to be the banker, who is in charge of handing out money during the game, and have them give each player $10,000 to start with. Each player also starts with a car and one people peg. Once the game is set up, each player spins the wheel. Whoever spins the highest number goes first, and play continues clockwise. On a player’s turn, they spin the wheel and move their car that number of spaces forward on the board. On the first turn of the game, players decide whether they want to immediately start a career or go to college first. Going to college gives players more career options, but it takes longer and costs money. If a player wants to go to college, they place their car on the START COLLEGE space and collect $40,000 in bank loans. If a player wants to start their career immediately, they place their car on the START CAREER space and draw one career card and one salary card. If they draw a card that has “Degree Required” on it, they must draw a different career. Players place their career and salary cards face up in front of them. When players land on orange spaces, they must follow the directions on the space. Blue spaces have optional directions. Green spaces are PAY DAY spaces. Whenever a player lands on or passes a green space, they collect their salary from the bank. Red spaces are event spaces. Players must stop at these spaces, follow the directions, and then spin and move again. If a player lands on a LIFE space, they draw 1 life tile and keep it face-down in front of them until the end of the game. There are also career spaces on the board. If a player lands on a career space, they pay the player who has the career listed on the space the amount of money specified on the space. If no player has that career, they pay the money to the bank instead. Players can purchase automobile insurance for $10,000 at the beginning of any turn, which protects their car from any accidents, damage, and theft. They can also buy homeowner’s insurance for the amount specified on their house deed card to protect their home from floods, tornadoes, and theft. Players are also able to buy 1 stock at the beginning of any turn for $50,000. Whenever a player spins the number listed on a stock card, the player who owns that stock card collects $10,000 from the bank. Players can only own 1 stock at a time. Players are able to take out 1 or more bank loans during their turn. Bank loans must be repaid with $5,000 in interest at the end of the game. When players reach the RETIRE space on the board, they must stop and pay off any outstanding loans, remove their career card, salary card, insurance policies, and house deed from play, and place their car on either Millionaire Estates or Countryside Acres. Players should choose Millionaire Estates if they think they have the most money. Otherwise, they should choose Countryside Acres. Once all of the players have retired, each player at Millionaire Estates counts their money. The player with the most money gets the 4 LIFE tiles that were placed at Millionaire Estates at the beginning of the game. Now any players at Countryside Acres count their money. Finally, all players flip over their collected LIFE tiles and add the value of each tile to their total. The player with the most money wins the game! To learn more, including how to decide whether to start a career or go to college, read on.

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