#the landlord's game

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Monopoly

The game of Monopoly has its roots in 1903 when Elizabeth J. Magie Phillips (1866-1948), aka Lizzie Magie, an American, created a game named "The Landlord's Game."

Magie was inspired by the economic theories of Henry George (1839-1897), particularly his views on land monopolies and how they could negatively impact society.

She aimed to use her game as an educational tool to demonstrate these principles.

Magie patented her game in 1904 and began self-publishing it in 1906.

The game had two sets of rules:

1) One where players benefited collectively from the wealth generated, reflecting anti-monopolistic ideals;

2) Another where the goal was to dominate the market, mimicking real-world monopolistic tendencies.

Over the years, various versions of the game evolved, incorporating elements like buying and developing land, and increasing rents with more development (like adding houses).

Despite these changes, the core concept remained the same.

Magie re-patented her game in 1923, indicating the ongoing development and popularity of the concept.

This history shows that Monopoly was initially designed not just for fun but to teach players about economic theories and the impacts of monopolies, reflecting the social and political concerns of its time.

Lizzie Magie's 1904 board design, The Landlord's Game, was a predecessor of Monopoly.

[leafundertree]

Ms Monopoly. That's it, that's the ad. They took a boardgame invented by a woman and slapped a bow on it because 🌟 feminism 🌟

[x]

[dinnickhowellslikes]

The board design by Elizabeth Magie for The Landlord's Game, first introduced in 1904, 30 years before Monopoly arrived in 1935

[bixels]

In the past, people in the Animal Crossing community would make fun of Tom Nook as a sleazy landlord. Since then, he's really rehabilitated his image as this 'heart of gold' businessman (he's the one who puts bells and furniture in trees for you to find! he adopted orphans! he donates to charity!), but New Horizons genuinely paints the most devious version of him.

He's successfully privatized settler colonialism: you pay HIM to move to a "deserted island" (which apparently the oceans in the AC world are just full of) and start a colony that he is directly invested in. At best he's running a weird vacation package scam (you arrive on the island with no money and in debt for "using his services"). At worst, he's using you to set up company towns. For god's sake, he literally has his own fake currency that he forces you to use to pay off your debt. But don't worry, he's repackaged it in a way that definitely doesn't sound like an MLM scam: the Nook Mileage Program!

You're no longer just his tenant or his temporary part-timer, you're his business lackey. The entire tutorial section of the game has you spending actual weeks running around completing tasks and doing hard labor to set up his colony. You're even tasked with preparing his properties and finding buyers for them. No, you aren't a tenant anymore. You work for the landlord. You are directly responsible for finding tenants for him. And he doesn't even fucking pay you. Not for setting up town hall and museum, or his nephew's shop –– which is the ONLY store on the entire island that sells necessities –– or bringing KK Slider to town, or helping populate his town. Not a single cent. No, actually, you have to pay HIM to BUY infrastructure like bridges and stairs and park benches. And all the while, he's telling you're the "resident representative"; you get to call the shots! That the reward is the community's progress. That what you're doing is in everyone's best interest (but most importantly, his).

Since NH's release, people have done a lot of legwork to say that Tom Nook isn't a capitalist while the game shows him at his very worst. He owns the only general store in town. You're forced to use a phone that he modified and branded as his own. Buy Nook-branded furniture and merchandise at the self-serve kiosk in the town hall, a governmental building! There's no conflict of interest here!

But hey, if you're tired of being the landlord/business mogul's goon, you can also find work as a deluxe resort home designer for a company that also pays you in their special company currency that can only be used to buy their products instead of a real salary! Because that's what the Animal Crossing franchise needs! More vacation homes!!!

[wizardofpalmsprings]

See, being an audience member there is NO WAY the Landlord ISN’T Jess Ross after her presentation on wrestlers and drag queens but I’m not in this situation so I can only use what I know as an outside observer!!!!

[uniquecrash5]

I hadn't heard known this aspect of the original game. What I'm hearing is that there should be a way to play "Monopoly" the board game with co-op rules.

Hmmm...

Original rules for "Landlord's Game" with "Prosperity" rules right here.

Monopoly wasn't invented by the Parker Brothers, nor the man they gave it credit for. In 1904, Monopoly was originally called The Landlord's Game, and was invented by a radical woman. Elizabeth Magie's original game had not one, but two sets of rules to choose from. One was called "Prosperity", where every player won money anytime another gained a property. And the game was won by everyone playing only when the person with the least doubled their resources. A game of collaboration and social good. The second set of rules was called "Monopoly", where players succeeded by taking properties and rent from those with less luck rolling the dice. The winner was the person who used their power to eliminate everyone else. Magie's mission was to teach us how different we feel when playing Prosperity vs Monopoly, hoping that it would one day change national policies. When the Parker Bros adopted the game, they erased Magie, they erased the "Prosperity" rules and celebrated "Monopoly". This is why very few games of Monopoly end in better friendships! Some even end friendships! What they couldn't erase was Magie's lesson.

[moonlarking]

I’d like to thank A Bug With A Big Ass, graNma sWeetie, and Adjustable Side Table, Walnut for making me laugh the hardest I’ve ever laughed at a gamechanger episode

[solaria5]

Oh no... They are fighting for Y/N

I LOVE both of them

[tinkkles]

In act 3 if you break into dammons room you find a book of smut so narsty it's been outlawed all over faerun btw

[dirtyriver]

More info on Wikipedia.

Monopoly wasn't invented by the Parker Brothers, nor the man they gave it credit for. In 1904, Monopoly was originally called The Landlord's Game, and was invented by a radical woman. Elizabeth Magie's original game had not one, but two sets of rules to choose from.

One was called "Prosperity", where every player won money anytime another gained a property. And the game was won by everyone playing only when the person with the least doubled their resources. A game of collaboration and social good.

The second set of rules was called "Monopoly", where players succeeded by taking properties and rent from those with less luck rolling the dice. The winner was the person who used their power to eliminate everyone else.

Magie's mission was to teach us how different we feel when playing Prosperity vs Monopoly, hoping that it would one day change national policies.

When the Parker Bros adopted the game, they erased Magie, they erased the "Prosperity" rules and celebrated "Monopoly". This is why very few games of Monopoly end in better friendships! Some even end friendships! What they couldn't erase was Magie's lesson.

source FB Women Hold Up Half The Sky

[fuckyeah-bears]

I woke up to find a squirrel in my apartment this morning

[snakehasfaith]

I made more Faith characters as tweets/other!

[servegrilledcheese]

marasigan sisters, in-game. the extent of gameplay i had with this pack is cooking mango sticky rice on the pressure cooker.

[probablybadrpgideas]

In an attempt to deal with their reputation, the orc horde is reverse raiding, where they show up at your town to build new houses and give everyone gold.

[quantum27]

sorry I can't join the bowerstone revolution yet I'm busy being a landlord

[ame-in-the-rain]

Gary after telling everybody that a demon is gonna chill out in their apartments and potentially kill them: