A gruelling game of the Sydney version of Monopoly has entered its 1000th day of play today, with all players yet to purchase any properties.

What started as something to do instead of going out for smashed avo turned into a full-time obsession as participants were forced to quit their jobs and abandon all responsibilities, one of the players said.

“We thought it would be novel to experience the thrill of owning a property in Sydney,” he said. “But even in game format it’s proving a challenge. I’m down $900,000 and have been to jail 239 times, 120 of them just for jaywalking.”

“It’s a bit ironic,” another player said. “In all this effort to buy a fictional property in Sydney, I’ve been evicted from my real-life apartment.”

The group said being forced to stop at 1:30am every night because of Sydney’s lockout laws, which have been cleverly incorporated into play, has slowed the game down, leading to frustration and several violent brawls among players. However, they acknowledged that they wouldn’t have actually bought any properties by now, even without the forced downtime.

“The only chance I have of owning a property is if a relative also playing Monopoly dies mid-game and I inherent one of their deeds,” one optimistic player said. “Pop’s been playing the same game since the ’60s so I could be in luck.”