Monopoly

Monopoly has been played by families in every corner of the world since it was first marketed by Parker Brothers in 1935. It is a board game that teaches the values of global corporatism as if there was no other show in town. It teaches children to value money above all else, to win, to think of self first, to be the winner. In short, "the object of the game is to become the wealthiest player through the buying, selling and renting of property" and, in doing so, to drive all other players off the board and into the ditch of destitution. A close study of this familiar board game reveals many curious features that have come to be taken for granted, and hence have passed unremarked by generations of players of this game. Over the decades of its existence, Monopoly has changed very little. Although Monopoly boards using place names of a variety of towns and cities across the globe have been marketed, the basic rules and board reflect an anonymous no-man's land outside the real-life economy of the living world. An early version of the game describes it as follows:

"THE IDEA OF THE GAME is to BUY and RENT or SELL properties so profitably that one becomes the wealthiest player and eventual MONOPOLIST. Starting from "GO" move tokens around the Board according to throw of Dice. When a Player's Token lands on a space NOT already owned, he may Buy it from the BANK: otherwise it is Auctioned off to the Highest Bidder. The OBJECT of owning property is to Collect Rents from Opponents stopping there. Rentals are greatly increased by the erection of Houses and Hotels, so it is wise to build them on some of your Building Sites. To raise more money Building Sites may be mortgaged to the Bank. Community Chest and Chance spaces give the draw of a Card, instructions on which must be followed. Sometimes players land in Jail! The game is one of shrewd and amusing trading and excitement, often contributed to by the Banker-Auctioneer."

In a later version of the rules, the object of the exercise is stated simply as "to become the wealthiest player through buying, selling and renting property". But there is no indication of where the money comes from to enable players to take part in the game. Looking at the familiar board we see properties of all sorts, including railways and other infrastructure sites, even "INCOME TAX". But no BANK. According to the rules, the Banker is appointed before the game commences, and he keeps the . The Bank is described as follows:

"Besides the Bank's money the Bank holds the Title Deeds, and the Houses and Hotels prior to purchase by the players. The bank pays salaries and bonuses. It sells and auctions properties and hands out the proper Title Deed cards when purchased by a player. It also sells Houses and Hotels to the players and loans money when required on mortgages.

"The bank collects all taxes, fines, loans and interest, and the price of all properties which it sells and auctions. The bank 'never goes broke.' If the Bank runs out of money, the Banker may issue as much as needed by writing on any ordinary paper."

That last sentence is particularly interesting to the student of political economy. Note also that it is recommended that the person selected to be Banker should be one who would make "a good Auctioneer". Furthermore, it is the Banker who starts play.

On the Monopoly Board itself, there are houses, hotels, public utilities and a jail, but no farms, factories, shops, offices, schools, hospitals or places of work. Players collect a £200 "salary", doled out by the Banker, as they pass GO.

Virtually everybody I know has played the game at some point in their lives. Yet few - myself included - have paused to consider how the game was constructed. A close examination of the rules raises many questions, in addition to those already mentioned. What assumptions were made in drawing up the Community Chest and Chance cards? The rules relating to payment of Tax give pause for thought, as do the rules relating to getting in and out of Jail. Does the game give an accurate reflection of the finance-driven global economy of present times? Do banks conjure money out of thin air when it runs short?