Just learned that the original Monopoly game was based on a property tax protest

I was reading a history of board games last week and saw that Monopoly started as 'The Landlord's Game' in 1903. It was made by a woman named Lizzie Magie to show how rents make people poor. The version we all know was basically stolen and sold by Parker Brothers in 1935. I always thought it was just about getting rich, but the whole point was the opposite. Does knowing this change how you feel about playing it, or is it just a game night classic no matter what?

3 comments

3 Comments

lane.drew2mo ago

That's wild, makes you see the game totally different. Still a fun classic for game night though.

paulb982mo ago

My friend had a game night like yours, lane.drew, and he said it changed how he sees the whole thing now.

troy_ross22d ago

The 1903 version probably didn't come with a tiny top hat and a dog that just stares at you while you go bankrupt. So Lizzie Magie made a game to teach people about unfair rents, and now we spend four hours fighting over Boardwalk like it's a life-or-death situation. I guess the joke's on us because we're still screaming at each other over fake money and colored houses. Classic game night chaos no matter what the history books say, though.