
Her game, The Landlord's Game, was self-published, beginning in 1906. It was intended as an educational tool, to illustrate the negative aspects of concentrating land in private monopolies. The history of Monopoly can be traced back to 1903, when American anti-monopolist Lizzie Magie created a game that she hoped would explain the single-tax theory of Henry George. The game is named after the economic concept of a monopoly-the domination of a market by a single entity.įurther information: History of Monopoly Early history Lizzie Magie's 1904 board design Parker Brothers was eventually absorbed into Hasbro in 1991. When Parker Brothers first published Monopoly in 1935, the game did not include the less capitalistic taxation rule, resulting in a more aggressive game. The Landlord's Game originally had two sets of rules, one with tax and another on which the current rules are mainly based. Monopoly is derived from The Landlord's Game, created by Lizzie Magie in the United States in 1903 as a way to demonstrate that an economy that rewards individuals is better than one where monopolies hold all the wealth and to promote the economic theories of Henry George-in particular, his ideas about taxation.

The original game was based on locations in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States. As of 2015, it was estimated that the game had sold 275 million copies worldwide. Monopoly has become a part of international popular culture, having been licensed locally in more than 103 countries and printed in more than 37 languages. House rules, hundreds of different editions, many spin-offs, and related media exist. Players receive a salary every time they pass "Go" and can end up in jail, from which they cannot move until they have met one of three conditions. Money can also be gained or lost through Chance and Community Chest cards and tax squares. Players collect rent from their opponents and aim to drive them into bankruptcy. In the game, players roll two dice to move around the game board, buying and trading properties and developing them with houses and hotels. Monopoly is a multi-player economics-themed board game.
