Board Games – Unique Americana

Board games are a uniquely American past time. Especially when considering the largest historical producers of board games such as Milton Bradley and the Parker Brothers shaped the pretext of which games would evolve into behemoth name brands that we know today. Most households have at least one of these board games. These large companies (which have since evolved and become part of other corporations – for example, Milton Bradley Company merged with Hasbro, and Parker Brothers did as well). The most popular board games would certainly be Monopoly, Scrabble, Yahtzee, Clue, and Life.

Each of these well known board games are unique in how they suggest a premise to the players. For example, Monopoly has been studied by UC Berkeley social psychologist, Paul Piff, for the psychology of wealth, where the premise of the Monopoly game is based on being a rigged game from the outset – as one winner will always have the upper hand throughout the game itself, and how this influences and generates a sense of entitlement in the players who are winning. He spoke already in 2013 about the detriments of this sort of mindset at TEDxMarin. Now, 10 years later, his study seems to ring true more than ever. Most importantly, while his study has wide ranging implications, I do think a sense of awareness from the most fortunate for recognizing how opportunity is not as free flowing for all, is essential for making choices which do the most good for all.

This does not mean you should not go about enjoying a good game of Monopoly of course, but it is fascinating to consider the ways in which board games shape some conceptions of how we maneuver life – especially during formative years, and when learning how to experience game playing. This is integral for sportsmanship and moral behaviors around fairness and, simply, understanding that it is only a game. Character certainly transcends the outcomes of a game and this is important to teach early on. These behaviors can transpire later in life.

Aside from behaviors related to playing board games and how we might craft our notions of “winning,” early on, there are many great attributes for board game culture in general. Here is a brief overview of both Milton Bradley and Parker Brothers.

Milton Bradley was born in 1836 and is credited with launching the board game industry. He grew up working class and started his business in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1860, launching an early version of the board game, The Game of Life

Prior to this first game, he tried to launch a game called “Mansion of Happiness,” and it was based on the ideas of moral virtues

Games that would later come from Milton Bradley would be the infamous Candy Land and Operation. Candy Land was created in 1948 in San Diego by Eleanor Abbott, who was recovering from polio. The game was made for children in hospitals. To me, Candy Land is uniquely American, not only for its emphasis on sugary treats, but the idea that we can focus on goodness in times of great challenge

Milton Bradley was the first to produce crayon kits with standard colors, which was a precursor to Crayola

Parker Brothers was started by George Swinnerton Parker in 1883. He deviated from the ideal that games were about morality and believed games should just be about fun

Among the Parker Brothers hits are Monopoly, Clue, Sorry!, Risk, and Scrabble

Parker’s first game was created in Salem, MA and called Banking. He created it in 1883 at age 16

Monopoly was created by Charles Darrow (who created a variation of Liz Magie’s The Landlord’s Game) and Parker Brothers bought the rights to the game from him. It was released during the Great Depression in 1935. This game was released during a time where money could not have been more defining for Americans. Darrow became the first millionaire game designer in history

Ultimately, board games are to be enjoyed in whichever style you choose to play. Now, there are plenty of versions and spinoffs that are specialized for your taste from Disney or other fandoms. They are always a great staple and their history is even more fascinating than one might think.