Monopoly Launches

[Old School]

Monopoly Launches
November 5, 1935
On this day in 1935, family game nights changed forever, as Parker Brothers began marketing its latest board game, Monopoly. The product was inspired by the Landlord's Game, a predecessor created in 1903 by Lizzie Magie and later revised by Charles Darrow, who would ultimately sell the concept to Parker Brothers. Though the manufacturer initially rejected the game for having "52 fundamental errors" regarding length and complexity, an independent version began flying off the shelves in Philadelphia, forcing Parker Brothers to reconsider and purchase the rights.

Monopoly became so popular upon its launch that within just a year, 35,000 copies were being produced each week. To date, more than 275 million sets have been sold. The game's metal tokens were inspired by charm bracelets belonging to Darrow's nieces, and the properties were named after locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Though the original game was created as a warning about the perils of capitalism, and even included an anti-monopolist ruleset, that meaning has been largely forgotten as today’s players hungrily buy up properties in order to win the game. Even still, Monopoly has become a worldwide sensation and is among the most popular board games of all time, having been translated into no less than 47 languages and sold in 114 countries.

 

[Old School]

has anyone here actual played the game strictly by the rules

Over the Christmas period, it's likely you'll bust out the Monopoly board at least once.

But this can turn nasty very quickly, with tantrums and flipped boards, because Monopoly isn't actually supposed to be a game that's fun to play.

We know this, because there's always one victor, while everyone else is left to feel miserable and defeated. But we play it every year regardless.

Have we been playing it right, though? As it turns out, there are several rules that people play when they get the Monopoly set out, but they aren't actually in the rule book. Instead, "house rules" have spread around and been passed down through the generations.

These are some of the most common made up rules — some of which are so well known they are just assumed to be in the rule book. (They aren't.)

1. Taking a lap
This rule was probably made to prolong the game and make sure nobody felt too hard done by if it was their turn last. But in the official rules, it says you can start buying property straight away. You don't have to go around the board once beforehand.

2. Free Parking
I've never met anyone who doesn't play the "Free Parking rule," where all the taxes go in the middle, and the person who lands on Free Parking gets it all. In fact, this is nonsense, and Free Parking is just a normal square that doesn't do anything.

3. Not auctioning off property
In November, people lost their minds because they became aware of a rule in Monopoly they had never played before. According to the official rules, when a property is landed on, and nobody wants to buy it, that property goes to auction. This means someone can buy the property for less than it's worth.

It's actually quite strategic, but many people don't play it this way, meaning the game can last hours and hours.

4. You can't earn money while in jail
Incorrect. While many people think being sent to jail is terrible, because you can't collect rent while incarcerated, this is untrue. This made up rule probably appeared because one family member wanted to be especially mean to another. In the official rules, you simply can't go around the board or buy anything.

5. Landing on "Go"
Some people like to add extra incentives of certain squares. One is that landing on "Go," awards you ?400. This isn't in the official rules, and it's probably just another way of helping people out when they could really do with the cash.

6. Surrendering to the banker
When someone runs out of money, they are out of the game. But many people then give everything back to the banker. This means people have to go round and round the board to buy their properties again. In the official rules, the loser actually gives everything to the person they owe money to, meaning the game can be over a lot quicker.

 

[The Joker]

A guy I knew in college blamed the divorce of his parents on Monopoly. If you have ever played with severe competition on opposite sides of the board, you can see how this might happen.