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Game opponents should target Monopoly

Chicago Sun-Times (IL) (Published as Chicago Sun-Times) - January 7, 1986
Author/Byline: D. B. Killings Edition: FIVE STAR SPORTS FINAL Section: EDITORIAL Page: 20
Column: PERSONAL VIEW Readability: 9-12 grade level (Lexile: 1130)

Recently, several self-appointed "consumer watchdog" groups have begun to apply pressure on the
Federal Trade Commission to look into problems with a game known as Dungeons and Dragons.
Dungeons and Dragons, they claim, influences children to act more violently than they otherwise would,
and introduces them to various concepts of mysticism.
Groups such as the Moral Majority and Bothered About D&D are concerned by what they consider to be
the "brainwashing of the young." They argue that the game has a "satanic and detrimental" effect on
children. They point to the many documented cases of violent acts and suicides among teenagers, and the
fact that in many of these cases the people had been fanatical devotees of the game.
There must be a link, they say, between the violent nature of the game and the steadily increasing violent
behavior of some of its players. To combat this, these well-meaning individuals want the game restricted or
even outright banned.
What these groups fail to realize is the danger in their own homes. For there exists yet another popular
game that may also provide negative influences on the young.
Indeed, this game has existed long enough that it may very well be already affecting not only our children
but the very world in which we live. I am speaking, of course, of Monopoly.
Quite likely, many of the economic woes in the last 30 or 40 years may in some way be attributed to this
game. Indeed, it's a good bet that many of today's big corporate shenanigans may be a direct cause of the
greed this game inspires.
Essentially, Monopoly is a game of capitalistic endeavor, in which the players buy land and charge a fixed
rate to all who happen to land upon it. The more property you own, the more money you make. On the
other hand, the more times you land on another person's property, the more you have to shell out. This
continues until either you have so much of the board that no one can move without landing on your
property, or you're so far in debt that you can no longer pay the bills.
There is much to be questioned concerning the ideas of this game.
First of all, it contradicts many teachings of the Bible. In Monopoly, it is often necessary to borrow money
from others in order to survive. Yet, Leviticus states that money-lending is a sin, and that money-lenders
are not to be tolerated. Elsewhere, the Bible states that "thou should not serve two gods," meaning God
and money. Clearly, this is in direct contradition with the basic purpose of Monopoly, which is to make as
much mammon as to be effectively filthy rich. It is an annoying oversight that TV evangelists have ignored

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this direct defiance of the Bible.

Besides moral problems, there is the question of ethics. Clearly, the economic picture painted in Monopoly
is not rosy.
True, it's nice when you come out on top, but what about all those you left behind? What about those other
players who had to sell out all they had in order to pay their debts? Are they happy at losing all their
hard-earned money?
Monopoly, in other words, promotes the idea that to get ahead, we must be greedy and uncaring, making
all we can on the misfortunes of others. For impressionable young adults, this clearly is not a healthy
attitude to have when going out into the real world.
The evidence that Monopoly is affecting our world is staggering. Since 1935, hundreds of millions of copies
have been manufactured. In the United States alone, one out of every two households owns at least one
copy. In terms of people, nearly four out of every five Americans have at some time played the game, many
for years.
A good example of just how Monopoly has affected us can be seen in the subject of debts. As any longtime
Monopoly player knows, there are times when one must sell some of his most valued assets in order to pay
off debts. The result is that an entire generation of Monopoly players has grown up with the belief that
getting into debt isn't such a big deal, and as a result members of that generation constantly are finding
themselves in economic woe. One only has to open the pages of any newspaper to find such a story.
With the aforementioned statistics in mind, it is easy to see that these people must have at one time played
Monopoly, so there must be a connection between the two.
Big multinational corporations are also an example. Search among the personal games belonging to any
member of the board of directors of Rockwell International or General Dynamics (two defense contractors
under investigation) and one is more than likely to find a copy of Monopoly.
Therefore, it is easy to see how they could become so crass as to actually overcharge the government!
Consider the social implications: We are losing millions of dollars a year to corporations with executives
that play Monopoly!
With all of this in mind, it is frightening to think what the next generation of Monopoly players will do if this
continues.
However, we need not see that day come, provided we act now.
I urge those same critics who find Dungeons and Dragons reprehensible to expand their list to include
Monopoly.
Maybe then we can all go back to some mindful, intelligent, thought-provoking entertainment.
Something like tic-tac-toe.
D. B. Killings is a student at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

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