The Landlord’s Game

A parable for modern times

London at Night, by David Holt. [CC BY 4.0]

Have you heard of Elizabeth Magie? She is one of many unsung female heroes of our time, and like so many other talented women over the years, she invented something that would change the world, and had her idea stolen by a man. Magie was the creator of The Landlord’s Game, a precursor to Monopoly, which Charles Darrow patented and sold as his own to Parker Brothers, making him a millionaire. Magie independently approached Parker Brothers, who purchased her patent for $500. Parker Brothers knew of the contention around the true identity of the game’s designer, but invested instead in Darrow’s heavily derivative game. Her involvement has only recently come to light in the popular media, like that of so many other female inventors.

Aside from this heinous case of bropropriation, there is more to the tale. Magie’s game was designed to be played with two different sets of rules, that would each highlight the consequences of different economic philosophies. Darrow dropped the anti-monopolists set of rules and went with a game that only rewards ruthless and uncontrolled capitalism.

Wow, this looks strangely familiar. By Lucius Kwok [CC BY 2.5], from Wikimedia Commons

When Magie’s game is played using the monopolist’s rules, which are similar to the rules of…