A friendly little game of Monopoly can bring out the worst in some of us. You buy up houses and start charging mercenary rents, someone else runs out of cash, and your sweetest friend suddenly takes an interest in who is going bankrupt. Maybe “Mercenary” would have been a better name for the game? But before Monopoly became a household favorite, Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie created a property game with a lesson to teach.
Today’s Trivia Question
According to the patent, what did Lizzie Magie want her property game to help players understand?
Bonus if you know the original name of Magie’s game.
| A Few More for Fun… |
The game’s origins aren’t the only thing you might get wrong. Two familiar “rules” may just be a family tradition rather than printed instructions…
Under the classic Monopoly rules, what do you collect for landing on Free Parking?
You land on an unowned property but decide not to buy it. What happens next under the classic rules?
| A Few More Trivia Questions Before You Go… |
While the jury is out on how much fun a full game of Monopoly can be, everyone agrees it’s complex. With all of those moving pieces, literally and figuratively, it’s fun to take a brief dive into the details behind the game.
Roll the two fair, six-sided dice. What is the chance that their total is seven?
The familiar place names and properties on the standard U.S. Monopoly board draw their names from which American city?
Answers
| TODAY’S QUESTIONAnswer: B. The economic advantages enjoyed by landowners. The patent describes a game meant to demonstrate how landowners gain an advantage over others in business. It promoted her belief in taxing land values. It wasn’t a game focused exclusively on rent collection. Bonus points if you knew the game was originally called “The Landlord’s Game.” | |
| 01 | Answer: D. Nothing. A stop on Free Parking is just a resting place. Putting all taxes and fines in the middle of the board is a “house rule.” It is common game mythology that those fines must go to the center of the board, and that landing on Free Parking wins that pot, but neither of those things appears in the official handbook! |
| 02 | Answer: B. The banker auctions it to the highest bidder. In the classic rules, the property goes to the highest bidder, and even the one who declined may bid if it benefits their strategy. Saying “no thanks” never removes the property from the market, or takes you out of the auction. |
| 03 | Answer: C. One in six. There are 36 equally likely ordered results, and six of them total to seven: 1+6, 2+5, 3+4, and their reverses. Seven actually has more combinations than any other total, but we can’t guarantee it’s your next roll! |
| 04 | Answer: A. 1904. You might have answered 1924, the year her updated patent was granted. However, the original patent was granted 20 years earlier. Both years appear in accounts of the game. |
| 05 | Answer: D. Atlantic City, New Jersey. Those squares borrow from Atlantic City’s streets and famous landmarks. The board may make the places feel fictional, especially when they can be developed with little plastic houses, but they were inspired by the famous destination. The original game was designed to teach a lesson. Perhaps the next time you find yourself arguing with friends and family over a Monopoly board, remind everyone it is a “learning moment,” and then see if they show you any mercy when you can’t pay rent. |
How did you do? Score 1 point for each correct answer and 1 point for the bonus if you knew it. Perfect score: 7.
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