How the Creator of 'Monopoly' Fell into Monopoly

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the invention of 'Monopoly', but unlike many similar games, this game does not seem to have lost its appeal against the glitz of new games. Decades after its design, it can still be seen in various versions and forms in stores; from boards and pieces themed around 'Harry Potter' and 'Game of Thrones' to versions of Monopoly specifically designed for certain cities, featuring names of well-known places and buildings from those cities. However, this popular game, now available in over 37 different languages, has come a long way to achieve international acclaim. Although 'Monopoly' is registered under the name of a businessman named 'Charles Darrow' from Philadelphia, who has gained significant wealth over the years, it was not created by him, contrary to his claims and common belief. The actual inventor of the game, 'Elizabeth Magie', had designed it in her home in Washington about thirty years before Charles Darrow and his wife accidentally came across it at a friend's house. However, Darrow was the one who named the game 'Monopoly' (literally meaning 'monopoly') and mass-marketed it. The first version of Monopoly sold was made by Darrow himself with items found in his home. Its pieces were actually very small metal figurines shaped like a shoe, lantern, race car, cat, and hat, which were hung from the bracelet of Darrow's young niece. Investors who initially rejected the proposal to collaborate in producing Monopoly reconsidered their decision upon seeing the game's popularity in local stores. The Parker Brothers had previously told Darrow that they would not invest in producing this game because they believed it had '52 fundamental flaws' that would lead to its failure in the market, including its length, complexity, and subject matter. Thus, Darrow's name—who was on the brink of bankruptcy before bringing Monopoly to market—was recorded as the creator of the game, and his story as someone who managed to accumulate millions through individual ingenuity circulated widely; however, the story of the actual inventor of the game is far more interesting. Monopoly: A Model of Non-Competitive and Monopolistic Economy Elizabeth Magie was an independent and single woman with progressive and leftist ideas. Born into a Scottish immigrant family, she worked as a stenographer during the day and attended political meetings in the evenings. Magie was a supporter of the ideas of 'Henry George', an American economist, and like him, spoke about the need for a fairer distribution of wealth and controlling poverty in society, questioning why the wealth of a limited minority continues to increase while the poor become increasingly impoverished. Henry George, Magie's favorite economist, is best known for his ideas regarding 'land value tax'; in his view, the difference between the poor and the capitalists comes down to the amount of land, property, and resources that the former lack while the latter monopolize and charge the former for their use. The popularity of similar games among middle-class families in the early 20th century led Magie to think that they could be used as a tool for conveying messages and educating people beyond mere entertainment. Thus, 'The Landlord's Game' was officially registered as Elizabeth Magie's invention on January 5, 1904. This game quickly became popular among intellectual circles and students, featuring two different sets of rules and could actually be played in two ways: in an 'anti-monopoly' manner, where the wealth generated in the game is shared among players, or in a monopolistic manner, where each player seeks to drive the others towards bankruptcy and seize their assets. At the same time, she described this game in an article for a political publication as a 'practical demonstration of the contemporary land ownership system' that also shows all the 'usual results and consequences' for society—or the players. She added in her article: 'This game could even be called the game of life, as the ultimate goal in it is what seems to be what everyone is pursuing; that is, the accumulation of capital.' The main difference between what Darrow brought to market as 'Monopoly' and Magie's version is that in Darrow's product, there is no sign of the second set of rules (the non-monopolistic and 'fair' rules). In classic Monopoly, the competition is over gaining monopoly over the game properties and collecting money from opponents for landing on or passing through those properties. The ultimate goal of each player is to bankrupt the others and seize their capital. After agreeing to participate in producing 'Monopoly', the Parker Brothers decided to buy the rights to 'similar games' to keep the product monopoly in their hands; as a result, they approached Magie and bought the rights to 'The Landlord's Game' for a mere $500. Unaware of their main goal—mass-producing a modified version of the game under the name 'Monopoly'—Magie happily accepted the Parkers' offer in hopes of mass-producing 'The Landlord's Game'. She later realized what had happened, but her protests went unheard. Thus, 'The Landlord's Game', designed by one of the critics of monopoly and capitalism to illuminate its dimensions and consequences, ultimately became 'Monopoly'; a global entertainment where the accumulation of capital and injustice in its distribution remains a serious and contemporary issue, and the gap between the haves and have-nots continues to deepen. Elizabeth Magie designed other games besides 'The Landlord's Game' or Monopoly, but none achieved the fame and popularity of this game. In her later years, she worked as a typist at the U.S. Department of Education and passed away in 1948. The Parker Brothers company is now a subsidiary of the American toy company Hasbro, which holds the rights to 'Monopoly', and still does not recognize Elizabeth Magie’s rights as the original inventor of the game.