The idea behind Monopoly didn’t begin with the goal of building hotels or dominating Boardwalk. It all started with Elizabeth Magie’s The Landlord’s Game in 1904. Magie, an American game designer, created it as a teaching tool to show the dangers of monopolies and unchecked capitalism. Her game had two rule sets: one where everyone prospered when wealth was created, and another where players could crush each other financially—a sharp commentary on economic inequality.

Years later, during the Great Depression, a man named Charles Darrow stumbled upon the game’s concept and created his own version, adding Atlantic City property names and refining it for mass appeal. He sold it to Parker Brothers in 1935, where it became the Monopoly we know today. However, the game's original message about the dark side of monopolies was largely lost in its rise to fame.

Today, Monopoly is a global favorite, but its hidden origins reveal a game designed not just for fun, but as a critique of the very practices it now celebrates.