The re-emergence of the commons and the strong solidarity bonds that it creates is a gamechanger in today’s hyper-privatised and oligopolistic society. So why not play the game!
There is an ongoing battle. The Speculator(s) are organised and committed to privatising every resource available in society: environmental, urban, health and intangible (knowledge based) goods. You must cooperate with other players to prevent privatisation and liberate as many goods as possible. Your goal is to turn them into public goods or, even better, common ones. Work together as a team to fight this dystopia!
The game combines some elements from role-play games and some from other traditional board-games. As in the role-play games someone needs to be in charge of the facilitation and this person is called Game Master. There is a document which explains in detail all the rules and dynamics of the game. It can be downloaded in English, Spanish, Portuguese or French.
Commonspoly is an attempt to rectify a misunderstanding that has lasted for more than a century. Back in 1904, Elizabeth Magie patented The Landlord’s Game, a board game intended to warn people about the dangerous effects of monopolism. Years later, she sold the patent to Parker Brothers, the company that distorted her game, turning it into the Monopoly we all know today—a game that celebrates huge economic accumulation and the bankruptcy of anyone… except you.
As part of a Hackcamp, organised at the 17th ZEMOS98 Festival in 2015, a working group created the first version of Commonspoly, based on their desire to reclaim Magie’s story. Over the past years, the game has undergone many changes and resulted in a total of 4 editions. At the beginning of 2020, development began on this new and improved version 4.0, known as the Commonspoly Green Edition. This has all been possible thanks to the support of the European Cultural Foundation and it’s coordinate by ZEMOS98.
Commonspoly can be bought online or downloaded for free (you need to print it in colour) in 4 languages: https://commonspoly.cc
NOTE: Find more games on SSE, cooperatives, a more sustainble world, etc. typing “game” on the research engine of socioeco.org (with the quotes “”)
