What board game has players buying properties and collecting rent?

The classic board game where players acquire properties and charge rent is Monopoly, a title synonymous with real estate speculation and financial strategy. In this popular game, participants roll dice to navigate a board, aiming to purchase available properties, develop them with houses and hotels, and collect rent from opponents who land on their spaces. The ultimate objective is to accrue wealth and drive other players into bankruptcy, simulating the dynamics of a capitalist economy.

The origins of this game trace back to 1903, when American anti-monopolist Lizzie Magie created "The Landlord's Game." Her intention was to illustrate the negative economic consequences of land monopolies and promote the single-tax theory of Henry George. Magie's patented design included many elements familiar today, such as a continuous path, collecting wages for passing "Go," railroad spaces, and the concept of buying and selling properties with deed cards. She even devised two sets of rules, one anti-monopolist and one monopolist, hoping to demonstrate the moral advantages of cooperation.

While Magie’s original vision aimed to critique monopolies, the game evolved. Charles Darrow later adapted it and sold it to Parker Brothers in 1935, leading to its widespread commercial success. Since then, Monopoly has become a global phenomenon, licensed in over a hundred countries and translated into numerous languages. With hundreds of millions of copies sold worldwide, it remains a beloved pastime, teaching generations about property management and the perils of debt, all while more Monopoly money is printed annually than actual U.S. dollars.