Lynn Camp students plan to play biggest game of Monopoly ever

Teachers at Lynn Camp mess around with the oversize pieces to the board.

Six teams of students at Lynn Camp Middle and High schools are gearing up for a little game of Monopoly.

The game will be played in the Wildcat Den on May 14 because that is the only place big enough to hold the board and pieces that are almost 30 times the size of a standard Monopoly game.

The board, which measures 52 feet, four inches on a side and is made up of 45 separate pieces, along with six game pieces, houses, hotels, Chance, Community Chest and deed cards, dice and money were designed and manufactured by Arthur Canada’s Design and Engineering students and painted and decorated by art students.

There are six of the famous game tokens including the: car, dog, iron, thimble, shoe and battleship.

Canada estimated 57 students had a hand in designing, making and finishing the game.

The process began in January when Canada and his students began brainstorming ideas for a project that would challenge their skills.

"One of the students suggested we do a Monopoly game and did the preliminary drawings," Canada said.

If they were going to make a big Monopoly game, Canada and his students decided to go all out, making it big enough to beat the existing world record. A Monopoly board in Qatar measures 2335.445 square feet.

"We are not planning on submitting it to Guinness," Canada said. "It is iffy as to whether we would be credited with the world record because we did not keep the scale factor consistent.

Working off and on since January, the students wrote programs that directed the machines as the pieces of the board, cards and playing pieces were cut out using density fiber board that is typically used to make cabinetry.

The students then assembled the pieces and sent them off to the art department to be painted and decorated.

"The students were constantly trouble shooting," Canada said, noting the first run never comes out perfect.

While the game tokens, cards and money can be moved as needed by one person, Canada said the dice made of fiber board can’t be rolled. To overcome that, a second set of dice is being made out of foam presentation board.

The board and pieces were originally set up in the Wildcat Den as decorations for the prom.

It has been put in storage until the game Monday.

"It stores real easy," Canada said.
 

The board takes up a space of about four feet by eight feet when it is stacked. However, the game would have to be stored inside as the fiber board material is not waterproof.

Canada said he hopes to sell the game and put the money back into the program.

"I would like to see it go to a collector," Canada said.

This marks the second year the engineering students have done an oversized game. In 2011, the students made oversized cards.

While he is not sure what the project will be for next year, Canada said he is not sure if he will continue the theme of oversized games.

"It is neat, but it doesn’t really stretch their skills," Canada said.