Monopolies and Mergers

In the second episode of Games Britannia it was explained to us how board games that originated from Britain impacted the country politically and socially. Whereas in America, board games were adapted to promote the American Dream of free enterprise and economic success. The original intension of board games being exported from Britain to America was to have the games used as instruments of moral instruction.

Another thing the episode explained was the crusading element of Monopoly which celebrated wealth and avarice in the wake of the Great Depression. Monopoly is considered to be the most capitalist of games and was ironically derived from a radical socialist game which was first published in Britain 1913.

The presenter then talks about how Cluedo, Scrabble and Monopoly were the somewhat holy trinity of British family favourite games and they still are nowadays as most households have at least one of these games.