By: Berry Robertson
Image of ‘The Landlord’s Game’ by Lizzie Maggie (image source: British Library)
On this week's blog I wanted to bring attention to the woman who invented the game that sparked my interest in Economics. Originally called “The Landlord’s Game” Magie’s version was slightly different than the one that we know today. There were two ways to play her game, the Anti-monopolist way and the Monopoly way. The latter version being stolen from her and created into the version we see today by Charles Darrow.
Lizzie Magie was a woman of many interests, she enjoyed creative writing indulging into writing poetry and short stories in her spare time. Not only this but she had an eye for invention and engineering and designed an improvement for the Hammond class typewriters, achieving a patent for it (during a time where patents were given to less than 1% of women.)
Throughout her life Magie advocated for women's rights, she worked hard for her own money and did not marry young defying social norms. Frustrated by the low pay for women she placed an ad in the newspaper where she sold herself as ‘young woman American slave’ to the highest bidder; this brought her media attention where she was able to expand on her frustrations further.
The creation of the board game by Magie was due to her wanting to reach others in her teaching of Georgism. Which is the idea of a single tax. Georgism suggests taxing the natural resources and opportunities provided by land rather than taxing individuals' income or the improvements they make on the land. This approach aims to promote economic efficiency, reduce inequality, and prevent the concentration of wealth in a few hands.
Overall Lizzie Magie was an extraordinary woman with multiple talents and interests who was taken advantage of by a man who exploited her idea for his own gain. So the next time you play the game Monopoly think about Magie and the amazing woman that she was.
Work cited
Wikipedia Contributors. “The Landlord’s Game.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 Oct. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Landlord%27s_Game.
Campion, Steven. “Lizzie Magie and the History of Monopoly.” Blogs.bl.uk, 2023, blogs.bl.uk/business/2023/03/lizzie-magie-and-the-history-of-monopoly-1.html.
Nicholas, Tom. “Monopoly Is Anti-Landlord Propaganda.” Www.youtube.com, 17 Dec. 2022, www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7nFA19Gzrw&t=2511s. Accessed 9 Jan. 2024.
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