Time to Play the Game (week 5)

Mondays class was especially interesting and extremely fun. For this class session we had to bring in a a game which the class would be able to play and participate in, such as a board game. What I ended up playing was Monopoly, a game which I haven't played in such a long time. This game never really caught my attention but I knew it was a fun game to play, so I choose it. The idea of this game playing is to get into the mind of the creator and observe the different processes needed to create this game. How he/she came up it, What inspired him/her, What were the different steps needed to create the game, Who does it focus on, etc.

Monopoly is a board game published by Parker Brothers, a subsidiary of Hasbro. The game is named after the economic concept ofmonopoly, the domination of a market by a single entity.

Monopoly is the most commercially-successful board game in United States history, with 485 million players worldwide.

According to Hasbro, since Charles Darrow patented the game in 1935, approximately 750 million people have played the game, making it "the most played (commercial) board game in the world."The 1999 Guinness Book of Records cited Hasbro's previous statistic of 500 million people having played Monopoly. Games Magazine has inducted Monopoly into its Hall of Fame. The mascot for the game is a mustachioed man wearing a monocle and morning dress named Rich Uncle Pennybags (often referred to as Mr. Monopoly).

I found these facts about Monopoly to be highly plausible. This game is basically focused on the economic aspects of America and expresses how entrepreneurship is applied in the American business world. This game taught me the economic struggle entrepreneurs would have to deal with marketing. As the game went on, I understood the different processes one would have to struggle with in order to create a game such as this. One would have to first think about the economics of the American society. Then think about America's most high valued attractions and business. Then of course the layout and planning on the actual board game. And most importantly, how would all these aspects would attract young and older players.

This game playing exercise has given me a greater appreciation for board gaming and th process for their creation. I hope we do this every week.

adjectives:

1. garrulous
2. didactic
3. obsolete