So Pithy

Maybe it’s just me, but “Monopoly” doesn’t seem like the best choice of names for a real estate game. I mean, I guess you’re trying to corner the market, but usually when I think of monopolies I think of something more like Microsoft or Ma Bell. And the mechanics of the game could do a better job of teaching capitalism, even of the cut-throat variety. Forcing all your opponents into bankruptcy should not constitute winning; instead, getting to a point where all your opponents give all their income to you each time around the board should be the goal. That’s a viable long-term strategy.

I don’t have a problem with the names of other games. “Sorry” simultaneously refers to one of the chief mechanics in the game and introduces children to sarcasm. “Risk” describes one possible strategy as well as the very act of playing the game with my family. “Life” is about, well, life.