A Lifer's Diary, Part 15: A Car-Themed Reskin of Generation III?

A Lifer's Diary, Part 15: A Car-Themed Reskin of Generation III?

After discovering that Generations II and III of The Game of Life were also available in at least one reskinned version each (including a Rock Star Edition), I immediately started thinking about what a car-themed special edition of Generation III could (and would) have looked like. Since the other reskinned versions replaced the text on all spaces to match the theme, this hypothetical version would've received the same treatment. For example, the Lose Your Job spaces could be renamed to "Join New Manufacturer", while the Get Married space would be renamed "Hire Test Driver". Moreover, as with the Rock Star Edition, the Baby spaces (including the Twins spaces) should be renamed to "Gain a Fan (or Gain 2 Fans)" spaces. On top of that, the Taxes Due spaces should now be referred to as "Service Due" spaces, even though their purpose would remain unchanged; Pay Raises, meanwhile, would now be called "Tune-Ups" instead. Finally, the salaries for each career would be renamed Engines, with each Segment having a specific engine configuration.

The biggest change would be to the Career and College Career Cards; whereas the Rock Star Edition, for example, had all cards from both decks renamed after band positions (and even referred to the latter deck as "Institute of Music Career" cards), this time, the Career Cards would have to be called Segment Cards (in reference to various automotive market segments), and separated into two decks (normal Segment Cards and Premium Segment Cards). It is highly likely that the normal Segment Cards would've been as follows:

• Subcompact (1.5L 16v DOHC I4 Engine - salary range equivalent $20,000 to $50,000; service cost $5,000; replaces Salesperson)
• Compact (2.0L 16v DOHC I4 Engine - salary range equivalent $30,000 to $60,000; service cost $10,000; replaces Mechanic)
• Midsize Sedan/Wagon (3.0L 24v DOHC V6 Engine - salary range equivalent $30,000 to $60,000; service cost $10,000; replaces Hair Stylist)
• SUV/Truck/Van (3.5L 12v OHV V6 Engine - salary range equivalent $40,000 to $70,000; service cost $15,000; replaces Police Officer)
• Muscle/Pony (5.0L 32v DOHC V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $50,000 and up; service cost $20,000; replaces Entertainer)
• Sports Car (7.0L 16v OHV V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $60,000 and up; service cost $25,000; replaces Athlete)

In addition, the Premium Segment Cards would also have been renamed as follows:

• Premium SUV/Truck/Van (6.0L 16v OHV V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $40,000 to $70,000; service cost $15,000; replaces Teacher)
• Premium Sedan/Wagon (3.2L 24v DOHC I6 Engine - salary range equivalent $50,000 to $80,000; service cost $20,000; replaces Computer Designer)
• Luxury Sedan (5.5L 32v DOHC V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $70,000 to $110,000; service cost $30,000; replaces Accountant)
• Luxury Coupe/Convertible (6.0L 48v DOHC V12 Engine -  salary range equivalent $80,000 to $120,000; service cost $35,000; replaces Veterinarian)
• Supercar (4.3L DOHC V8 Engine - salary range equivalent $90,000 and up; service cost $40,000; replaces Lawyer)
• Hypercar (6.5L 48v DOHC V12 Engine - salary range equivalent $100,000 and up; service cost $45,000; replaces Doctor)

As in the vanilla version of Generation III of the Game of Life, the SUV/Truck/Van would still retain the ability to collect $5,000 from any opponent that spins a 10, although I have proposed a house rule that could remove this specific ability.

Also, unlike in the vanilla edition of Generation III, the movers for each player would most likely have had a sleeker look, more akin to a sports car or supercar (or even a hypercar) than a sedan, SUV or minivan (as has been the case with all the vanilla sets to date). And instead of being visually identical apart from their exterior colors, they could even have different designs each: one or two with American design influences, another with an Asian-inspired design, and the rest having European-style aesthetics, for example.

To reinforce the retheming even further, the Starter Home and House Cards would've also been renamed as Starter Garage and Super Garage Cards, respectively. One suggestion for the Starter Garage Cards would therefore be as follows:

• Small 1-Car Garage (buy for $80,000; sell for $80,000; replaces Mobile Home)
• Medium Detached Garage (buy for $100,000; sell for $105,000; replaces Condo)
• 2-Car Detached Garage (buy for $120,000; sell for $140,000; replaces Log Cabin)
• 3-Car Garage (buy for $140,000; sell for $160,000; replaces Ranch Style)
• Small Independent Dealer (buy for $160,000; sell for $180,000; replaces Small Cape)
• 5-Car Deluxe Garage (buy for $180,000; sell for $200,000; replaces Tudor Style)

The Super Garage Cards, meanwhile, would most likely be named as follows:

• 6-Car Workshop (buy/sell for $300,000; replaces Double Wide + RV)
• 10-Car Deluxe Workshop (buy/sell for $400,000; replaces Executive Cape)
• Main Dealer Outlet (buy/sell for $500,000; replaces Modern Victorian)
• Private Club Circuit (buy/sell for $600,000; replaces Luxury Mountain Retreat)
• Luxury Super Dealer (buy/sell for $700,000; replaces Penthouse Suite)
• Grand Prix Circuit (buy/sell for $800,000; replaces Mansion)

As with the Rock Star Edition, the Long-Term Investment Cards would be renamed as Sponsored Part Cards, although they, too, would have had to be car-themed (with names reflecting a specific set of car parts), and one suggestion for these new names would be as follows:

• 1: Engine & Exhaust
• 2: Gearbox & Drivetrain
• 3: Forced Induction & Nitrous
• 4: Wheels & Tires
• 5: Aerodynamics
• 6: Brakes
• 7: Body, Chassis & Paint
• 8: Interior, Safety, & Audio
• 9: Lights & Accessories

Finally, the Countryside Acres and Millionaire Estates retirement options in the vanilla game would have had to be renamed to "Private Collector's Garage" and "Mega Motor Museum", respectively, although they would have retained the same sets of pros and cons as before.

These are just some of the changes that would have been made to a car-themed Generation III Game of Life set - there are many others besides the ones listed here (including having gray normal spaces with yellow text resembling roads, instead of yellow ones with black text, in a manner similar to the Rock Star Edition, and with text on all spaces changed accordingly to reflect the automotive retheming) - but the resulting reskin, had it been made, would have made the Game of Life even more attractive to car enthusiasts everywhere, by making it evoke the drive of a lifetime, and the memories it brings. 

Who knows, it may have aged even better than the vanilla, 50th Anniversary, or Rock Star editions of Generation III sets, and if I had been able to choose between either this or an Automania board game set (which is a different kind of game entirely), I'd choose the former every time - unless I could afford both. It may have been possible for Generations II, IV, and V to receive similar treatment via retheming - but discussion of those will have to wait for another post, mainly because of how different their rulesets are compared to Generation III.

Update (September 13 2025, 1:50am, UTC+7): Added appropriate Engines (size, configuration, and valvetrain) for all Segment Cards (in Regular and Premium decks) as salary range equivalents.