Why, when the game was first released in the 1930s, did people all over the world make an almost cooperative decision to drop the auction? (A decision that is especially puzzling given that it makes for a worse game).
Well I puzzled over this for a long time until my friend Becky – who along with her husband Darrell is something of a board games geek – supplied what I’m pretty sure is the answer. We, gamers as we are, might think a game featuring lots of inter-player shafting is superior to one without. But Monopoly is, and always was, played not by gamers, but by families; and inter-player shafting is liable to cause all sorts of upset.
This is actually frustrating, because (if I remember my history correctly) the game was originally intended to help teach about capitalism and free markets. By crippling the game in this way, it makes it much more about luck, which feeds into the notion that winners must “help out” the losers, because they have no control over their fates, thus feeding into the socialist impulse. That is, to use Dick Gephardt’s unfortunate phrase of a few years back about “life’s lottery,” it encourages fatalism and wealth redistribution, instead of initiative.
In any event, even if the real thing isn’t great for family and friends, gamers at least should play it seriously.
[Via Geek Press]
Not a fan of the part of the article that claims that nobody reads the directions and that nobody is aware of the “every property is auctioned if not purchased” part of the directions. I’ve been aware of that rule of the game for a long time, thanks to a directly-interpreted computer version of the game so many years ago, which actually pre-dated my experience playing the board game itself.
Then again, I’m the “rules enforcer” amongst my circle of friends and family, so it’s rare when I don’t know about the actual rules of the game or when they differ from the “house rules” on any given night.
I knew about the rule. We didn’t play by it when I was young for all the reasons stated, but we knew it was there. However, my entire family consists of financiers and high-level executives and before I was old enough to play the real rules more than a few times there were enacted, separately and independently, perpetual bans enacted on the play of Monopoly on both my Mother’s side and my Father’s side. It’s never come up on my step-father’s side, but I imagine it would be even worse; perhaps it’s an unspoken agreement.
Anger and recriminations are not just for kids. Fewer tears and more years of grudges for wounded pride.
Playing by RAW, the game should take no more than 1-2 hours as the unfortunate are quickly squeezed-out by the emergent rentier class. Paying face value for initial investment drags the game out by a factor of 2 or more: intollerable for a game whose excitement time constant is about 15 minutes. All to spare n00bz? LOL L2P!
Doesn’t work. Optimal strategy is to purchase every property landed on; except in very rare occurances early in the game, this should never become an issue.
Is the optimal strategy really to purchase every property? Some of them cost more than they’re worth, and you run out of money pretty quickly.
Wikipedia says that the game was invented to demonstrate the evils of state-enforced monopolies.
I think the point is that you can’t have an optimal strategy with the auction rule.. it introduces the human element. The should be obvious if you’ve ever seen people playing monopoly without the auction rule: they’re just mechanistically taking their turn. A good banker will run the auction so as to refuse bids which exceed the player’s total liquidity.. often this means auctions in the end-game will result in the struggling players being unable to prevent the other players from getting properties at below the face value. One thing that could improve the game is interest on mortgages and foreclosures for defaults.
We need to introduce a version which has the Sherman Antitrust Act as part of the rules, and see if anyone on earth ever gets to the first roll of the dice…
You can’t really play original Monopoly in a family, because the little guys aren’t generally up to that much free-form competition until they’re tweens, and then they’re all Warcrafting anyway.
Now Clue, that one works very well. Plus it has the advantage of rewarding cleverness with personal triumph, but not requiring you to crush everybody else slowly along the way. Just one quick stab at the end.
We need to introduce an Obama version with stimulus funding for shovel-ready hotel construction and high-speed rail.
George, where have you been?
I think the only thing MORE boring than board games is VIDEO games.
Yeah, I’m THAT guy in the crowd.
I grew up in a family of card players. To me, no offense intended, cards require practice and skill. And the rules are universal. I’ve seen tournaments where people who don’t speak the same language play poker, spades and cribbage. You can’t do that with Monopoly, how would YOU teach YOUR rules to Paco, Achmed and some guy from Central Africa with a ‘click’ in his name? And what if THEY want to use their rules, instead of yours? This is how border disputes and wars start.
Back to skill. Most board games require the dice to fall your way. And Monopoly may be THE worst game ever.
This article shows why.
Every household in the world has it’s OWN set of rules for Monopoly. I like rules. You can’t gain skill if the game changes every 53 feet. I’m a rules kinda guy. You tell me what the rules are, and IF reasonable, I’ll follow them. But I refuse to learn YOUR families rules for a game that is worldwide!!
Paco, Achmed and that African dude agree.
I don’t go to casinos where Aces are ONE and Kings count in between 5 and 6 either. And imagine the RIOTS if soccer (futbol) had different rules in every different country. Move the World Cup, change the rules!!
This is how border disputes and wars start, mostly over soccer (futbol) now. Paco, and that African dude agree. Achmed plays soccer (futbol) too, but on the national team and he isn’t allowed to make comments, don’t tell anyone about the cards thing, Allah doesn’t allow that.
Yep, you invite the Hendersons over for some tuna casserole and a friendly game of Monopoly, then you discover that they put Luxury Tax money on Free Parking, and then it’s WWIII. Happens every time.