Games Britannia: part 2

Continuing from the first episode, Benjamin Woolley returns to present the influence of board games on British society and how they were used as a moral teaching tradition for many generations.


The episode highlights the invention of Monopoly in America in comparison to the English variation called The Game of the Landlords. Other games covered were Cluedo and Scrabble.

 The Landlords Game

The Landlords Game' similarity to Monopoly was astounding yet it was different to the original game, as in that it had a moral teaching.

Elizabeth Magie collaborated and created the Landlord's Game (in 1904) and was granted a patent on January 5th. Elizabeth wanted to teach others what she learned from studying Progress and Poverty (by Henry George). She stressed that the game was to be a "practical demonstration of the present system of land-grabbing with all its usual outcomes and consequences".

Here is a video of Woolley playing the Landlords game:
I really liked how Elizabeth designed a game with a moral teaching, as stated in the video it would have created discussion on politics and certain moral ethics when playing. Through a game she made it more than a game by teaching through example.