Scrabble, at a top level, is a game of memorizing as many words and combinations as you can. Some top players in english don't even speak english very well. That's a pure memory game.
Scrabble isn't a word game. It's an area-control game with 150,000 rules that define legal placement for your resources.
Basically, yes, and it's a deep, fantastic game at the highest levels
I never land on Boardwalk or Park Place either
Monopoly is a perfectly fine game. The problem is no one bothers to actually play it by the rules (auctions, no dumb house rules like fines go to free parking).
Monopoly is in its core a flawed game, because it was created as criticism against capitalism. The 'cutt-throat' way to play it is buying 4 houses on your streets, but not getting a hotel. Since there is a limited supply of houses, you prevent other players from getting better, then win by attrition. The title of the game is about getting a monopoly on houses.
I don't think that's the problem! It's (as noted in many online articles) the last 2/3 of every game is the richest person getting more and more so, until too long later they win. Kind of a drag for everyone else. (p.s. I play it by the rules.)
That was kind of by design to illustrate the evils of capitalism and advocate for a land value tax. Bit of a pity it didn't work. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lizzie_Magie)
I think what TylerE means is: A well-known criticism of the game is it goes on too long after the winner is already clear - and though _part_ of that is the game's design, _part_ of it is house rules that make the game take longer, like not auctioning properties and putting fines on free parking.
There are better games to play, though. Machi Koro is a card game with a similar theme and mechanics, but it removes player elimination and ends much faster.