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Elizabeth MagieAmerican game designer
Country:
 USA |
Content:
- Elizabeth Magie: The Inventor of 'The Landlord's Game'
- The Patent Application
- Establishing 'Economic Game Co.'
- Life and Marriage
- Revised Patent and Copyright Battles
- 'Adgame' and Further Versions
- Legacy and Passing
Elizabeth Magie: The Inventor of 'The Landlord's Game'
Elizabeth 'Lizzie' J. Phillips, formerly known as Elizabeth Magie, was born in 1866 in Canton, Illinois. Inspired by economist Henry George, she became a follower of his theories and ideas. Magie, living in Brentwood, Maryland, came up with a tabletop game called 'The Landlord's Game', which gained popularity among her friends.
The Patent Application
In an effort to demonstrate the negative economic consequences of land monopolies, Magie submitted a patent application for her game on March 23, 1903, to the United States Patent Office. She successfully obtained a patent, numbered 748626, on January 5, 1904.
Establishing 'Economic Game Co.'
In 1906, Magie relocated to Chicago, where she co-founded the 'Economic Game Co.' with a colleague who shared her admiration for Henry George. The company began publishing the original edition of 'The Landlord's Game'.
Life and Marriage
In 1910, Elizabeth married Albert Phillips. Soon after, game manufacturer 'Parker Brothers' released a card game called 'Mock Trial', which was a lively adaptation of Magie's work. In 1912, the 'Newbie Game Co.' released a modified version of 'The Landlord's Game' in Scotland, under the name 'Bre'r Fox and Bre'r Rabbit'.
Revised Patent and Copyright Battles
Magie and her husband moved to the East Coast of the United States, where they obtained a revised and corrected version of 'The Landlord's Game' patent in 1924, numbered 1,509,312. The original patent for her game had already expired in 1921. Seeking to regain her rights to the game, which had been copied by college students, Magie applied for a second time to the United States Patent Office.
'Adgame' and Further Versions
In 1932, the second edition of 'The Landlord's Game' was released by the 'Adgame' company in Washington D.C. This version included two games in one, as alternative rules led to the creation of a new game called 'Prosperity'. After giving an interview to a Washington newspaper in January 1936, where she criticized 'Parker Brothers', the company agreed to publish two more of her games.
Legacy and Passing
'Parker Brothers' began selling Magie's latest tabletop games, 'Bargain Day' and 'King's Men', in 1937, and the third version of 'The Landlord's Game' in 1939. 'Bargain Day' depicted a competition between shoppers in a department store, while 'King's Men' was an abstract strategy game. Elizabeth Magie passed away in Arlington, Virginia, in 1948.
