![]() The precursor of the modern version of the game was designed to teach lessons about the economy. Thinking about the educational value of Monopoly is not the strangest exercise. That doesn't stop Roberts from trying to cream his opponents, though. The landlord gains money at no cost, and that's a very unrealistic lesson." "In Monopoly, a roll of the dice forces you to pay large sums of money to a landlord, who you don't know," Roberts says. There's no innovation, no mutual benefits - it's all about grinding your opponents to dust. He has written about how it presents a warped view of capitalism. And learning, for example, with 1,500 bucks, not to go buying railroads as Russ just did."īut Roberts, the proud new owner of Pennsylvania Railroad, has a pretty low opinion of Monopoly. "Because the 1,500 bucks, you've got to make choices. "You learn decision rules, and maybe a little bit of optimizing under constraints," Hammermesh says. Hammermesh finds plenty of positive lessons for children who play the game. Hammermesh avoids buying utilities and those nasty green-colored properties, while Roberts will snap up anything he lands on. The Scottie dog is not in high demand.īoth professors have played Monopoly since they were children but with very different takes on the game. According to one of them, it "illustrates a tremendous diversity of preferences in people, even about something as mundane as this."Īs the game gets started, Dan Hammermesh of the University of Texas at Austin says he's "a top-hat guy." Russ Roberts of George Mason University says he prefers the car. Just picking out the game tokens prompts a lesson in choice theory. If you think a regular Monopoly game takes forever, try playing with two economics professors. A family plays Monopoly in the kitchen of their home in Jericho, Vt.
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