Trading in board games: More games that are better than Monopoly.

Monopoly might be as much fun as punching your relatives in the face until all but one is unconscious beside the Christmas tree, but it also has its down side.

When you first got into business, how did you see others in your industry? As associates? Allies? People that might be of some mutual help? Or sworn and mortal enemies?

Which one does Monopoly teach?

As mentioned in Part 1, the original game was designed by Elizabeth Magie against this sort of behaviour, and legend has it that she included a second set of rules where the winner was the person doing the best at a certain point, and was a bigger winner the greater the overall wealth amongst all players.

As a game, of course, people preferred the punch-on. Obviously not to be taken as an example of real-life business, but there are much better games that have positive business lessons, and are almost as much fun as bankrupting your cousin to tears.

So I will take you through this second game element:

Trade relations in board games.

As mentioned, the goal in Monopoly is to utterly destroy your competitors.

Also in Monopoly, there is only one real game device: Trading with other players.

These two together create a disastrous dynamic: Whoever I deal with intends to use the proceeds of that deal to ultimately destroy me. I may as well offer to load the cannon that is aimed at my own house.

Thus, trade relations in Monopoly are always fairly strained, ultimately benefiting only one party and destroying the other. I’m not sure how you like to do business, but unless you’re a certain type of lawyer, that’s probably not the best approach to interpersonal negotiation.

For a really good model for trade in business, and for enjoyment of games in general, let’s take a trip to Chinatown (1999).

The game Chinatown has players populating empty 1960s New York business lots with camera shops, laundrettes, florists and dim sum food halls. With a few lots randomly distributed each turn, and with each business only generating income if you manage to collect the required connected number of lots, trade is all of the game.

Trade is always beneficial to both parties, or you might choose to be really generous, meaning that both parties come away feeling good about doing business with each other. Trading with each other improves your prosperity, and your chances of success, as well as improving your relationship with your trading partner.

https://www.shutupandsitdown.com/videos/review-chinatown/

“Chinatown is a game where the only time you interact with another player is when you can help each other. …You both end up happier and liking each other more.”

– Quintin “Quinns” Smith, shutupandsitdown.com

Compare that as a model for business: In Monopoly, you trade with your competitors as mortal enemies, seeking to use the deal to destroy them as they would destroy you. In Chinatown, you help each other, you’ve all created a thriving commercial village together, and while one person might have gotten past the post first, all other players are much better off for having done business with each other.

So - choose games that provide a win-win, and you are more likely to look out for opportunities to deal with others where everyone can benefit.