Games and Racial Inequality
The Secret of The Monopoly Game Board
Racist Symbol or Teaching Tool?
“The Prices on Your Monopoly Board Hold a Dark Secret. The property values of the popular game reflect a legacy of racism and inequality.” — Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists
The version of Monopoly produced by Parker Brothers for the masses starting in the mid-1930s was an illustrated board game of discrimination.
Ironically, Lizzie Magie, the inventor of the game, was a feminist who created the board game as an educational teaching tool in the early 1900s. But her original invention was copied and changed into a board game with a focus she never intended.
The popular board is based on real estate in Atlantic City, New Jersey. There are 50 states in the US. Pick a city, any city elsewhere. What would a board game based on real estate in a different city reflect?
Sources
Original source: The Monopoly Board Game
