pop & funanalysisThe Conversation: Arts + Culture (US)1903–1935 · USA
90 years of Monopoly: how the ‘new craze’ morphed from socialist critique to capitalist dream
Monopoly began as a critique of landlords. Elizabeth Magie patented The Landlord's Game in 1903 to show how land taxes could spread wealth more fairly than income taxes, drawing on the economist Henry George. Charles Darrow sold a version of the game to Parker Brothers in 1935 that focused on property accumulation, and the company paid Magie 500 dollars for her rights. The game became a Depression-era hit offering an escape into wealth. Over 3,400 versions have since been issued, with boards adapted to local streets. Hasbro now owns the brand, and it is estimated to be the best-selling licensed board game in history.
The original design had two rule sets, one rewarding wealth accumulation and one spreading it, so players could see how tax policy changed outcomes. The commercial version kept only the accumulation rules, where the last solvent player wins. Licensing local maps let the same mechanics be sold worldwide.
Monopoly shows how a game's design can quietly reverse its creator's message. The adaptability of its board also explains its global reach and its status as a tool for teaching economics.
The English edition of 1936 swapped Atlantic City's street names for London ones, turning Boardwalk into Mayfair and Mediterranean Avenue into Old Kent Road.
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Monopoly is a multiplayer economics-themed board game. In the game, players roll two standard dice (or one extra special red die depending on the game) to move their token clockwise around the board, buying and trading properties and railroads and developing them with houses and hotels. Players collect rent from their opponents and aim to drive them into bankruptcy. Money can also be gained or lost through Chance and Community Chest cards and tax squares. Players receive a salary every time they pass "Go" and can end up in jail, from which they cannot move until they have met one of three conditions. House rules, hundreds of different editions, many spin-offs, and related media exist.
Monopoly has become a part of international popular culture, having been licensed locally in more than 113 countries and printed in more than 46 languages. As of 2015, it was estimated that the game had sold 275 million copies worldwide. The properties on the original game board were named after locations in and around Atlantic City, New Jersey.
From Wikipedia: Monopoly (game) (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗
The Conversation
Illustrative photo · Yahya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
