It is the best-selling and perhaps the best-loved game in the world. Monopoly has been part of our lives and our culture for over 70 years. An estimated 500 million people have played the game over the years, and Monopoly has been exported around the world in many different languages and to over 60 countries ranging from Azerbaijan to Vietnam. Monopoly is even popular in Russia – a country that once banned the game, because of its capitalist principles. To give some idea of how many games are sold - twice as much Monopoly money is printed in a year than the US treasury prints real money!
To some people, Monopoly is more than just a game. It brings out the best and worst in people and it is interesting to see how otherwise mild-mannered people become ruthless property developers for a few hours when playing the game. Some people take the game perhaps far too seriously – an article in a science magazine discussed in depth the chances of landing on a particular property and you can find tables of “probabilities” and articles on strategies on line too. Apparently Illinois Avenue is the square most often landed on, and most experts say railroads are more profitable to own than utilities. And of course there is the often hotly debated question: If you land in jail, is it better to pay $50 to leave jail or wait until you roll doubles on the dice? It depends on the point the game has reached – if you are in danger of paying lots of rent, it is better to stay in jail.
The Origins of Monopoly
Monopoly was devised in 1934, at the height of the depression, by an unemployed worker, Charles Darrow who lived in Germantown, Pennsylvania. With plenty of time on his hands, Darrow devised a game based on real life real estate strategies that he called “Monopoly.” Many elements of the game reflected life at the time – the $1500 each player received at the beginning of the game reflected the average annual income of a typical American household in 1934. Monopoly doesn’t recognize inflation - the values of each property are the same as they were in 1934, although the taxes did change once in 1936.
Monopoly may have had its origins even earlier than that – around the beginning of the 20th century, a homemade board game called the “Landlord Game” was popular, and this may have influenced Darrow’s design. Darrow took his idea to the biggest game manufacturers of his time, Parker Brothers, who rejected the game, claiming that there were too many design errors – over 50 of them - and the game would not be popular, as it took too long to play, and was too complicated.
Not to be thwarted, with the help of a friend in the printing trade, Darrow managed to manufacture 5000 games himself and sold them to a Philadelphia department store. The demand for the game was incredible and Darrow once again went back to Parker Brothers to present his idea. This time they listened – and Monopoly became the institution it is today. Parker Brothers officially credited Darrow with the invention of the game and he became a rich man.
But why streets in Atlantic City, of all places? Darrow actually traveled from his home in Philadelphia to Atlantic City to an area of town known as Steel Pier to pitch his idea to Parker Brothers, and the street names he saw just stuck with him. Additionally, the use of many street names which reflected various states and oceans supposedly made the names easier to remember and easier to identify with, even to someone who had never been to Atlantic City. There is no doubt that the popularity of the game was partially responsible for making Atlantic City famous as a resort in the 1930s and 40s.
Collecting Monopoly Editions
Collecting the many different versions of the game is almost as popular as playing the game itself. Over the years Parker Brothers have put out many different versions of the game, including the sought-after and collectible 50th anniversary edition in 1984. Some people also collect the various souvenirs and advertising materials produced by Parker Brothers over the years. And of course, there are the many themed editions of the game, including Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and numerous college football teams. Some of the most popular editions are the "Simpsons" edition and the Americana edition, using national parks and landmarks. A millennium edition in a tin rather than the usual box was produced in the year 2000. However, the most valuable edition of the game was a game designed in 1988 by Sidney Mobell and exhibited in the Smithsonian Museum. It included a full size gold plated playing board and set with 165 gemstones.
And if you don’t agree with the principles behind the game, you may want to play the “anti-Monopoly” game which was produced in 1974, where the game is somehow played in reverse. Players start out by owning properties and then compete with each other to turn the situation back into a competitive and free enterprise system, where no one person has a monopoly.
A Global Phenomenon
Monopoly today is played in many countries around the world. Most other countries have used streets from their capital city, to replace those from Atlantic City. The street names around the board are often exotic sounding – the equivalent of Boardwalk in Spain is Paseo del Prado; in Egypt it is Shareaa Kasr el Nil. Over recent years, street names have frequently had to be changed to reflect world events; Iran’s board has changed its street names depending on who was in power at the time. Even the familiar tokens are different in other countries: in the Netherlands a windmill, in Singapore an elephant. In the United States, according to surveys, the racing car has always been the most popular playing token.
Monopoly players are a dedicated group, to say the least. Everybody knows a game can last a long time, but the longest continuous game of Monopoly was played over 70 days. Presumably nobody owned one set of each color! The longest game played underwater was 45 days – apparently after a few weeks, the board and the cards become too soggy. And people seem to delight in setting strange endurance records by playing the game in strange places like bathtubs or elevators. There is even a medical term to describe the aching knees you get if you play it for a few hours – “monopoly knees” is a regular complaint among serious players. Of course, you can also play Monopoly online at several different sites - where presumably, games last a long time too.
World's Largest Monopoly Game
But if you really want to immerse yourself in the game, the world’s biggest interactive Monopoly game is “Monopoly in the Park” in San Jose, California. The 930 square feet game board was originally produced as an exhibit for the 1992 San Francisco Landscape and Design Show, and it was so popular it was decided to make it permanent. The game board as well as the huge playing tokens and dice can be reserved by groups, parties and for corporate events. And you can actually volunteer to be a banker or a game coordinator at the game site – but make sure you are firmly committed as the position is for a year.