The Landlord's Game

The Landlord's Game was designed by Elizabeth Magie in 1903 as a pedagogical tool intended to illustrate the economic theories of Henry George, specifically the single-tax theory. Magie sought to demonstrate the negative aspects of concentrating land in private monopolies and to promote a more equitable alternative. By patenting the game, she hoped to spark public discussion about the social injustices caused by land grabbing and the potential for shared prosperity.

The board featured two sets of rules: one where all players prospered as wealth was created, and another where the goal was to achieve monopolies and crush opponents. While the latter eventually became the primary way the game was played, leading to the development of Monopoly decades later, Magie’s original vision focused on the anti-monopolist perspective. The game was initially self-published and circulated among intellectual circles and college campuses before gaining broader traction under the Economic Game Company.