Imagine a game where some start with properties and others with nothing. Some pass 'Go' and collect their reward, while others land in jail and find it more comfortable to stay there. Welcome to Monopoly. But it's not just a game - it's an eerie reflection of real life for many in today's world.

Remember those cold winter days stuck inside trying to amuse yourselves. Out would come the board games with Monopoly being a favourite, everyone in the family started out the same, until someone gained power over the board, buying up the choice properties and charging fees and rents for anybody that landed on their hotel sites.

The rich got rich and the poor got poorer. Not even collecting a reward as you passed "Go" boosted your finances enough. You developed road rage, as you turned the corner and ran the gauntlet past all those high rises. In the end, the dice seemed to be against you, whatever you threw, it was a lost cause and you finally declared bankruptcy and stayed in jail, it became a "bored" game.

In Monopoly, the playing field is even. Everyone begins with the same cash, the same chances, the same path around the board. But life is not Monopoly. Some people are born into wealth, others into poverty. Some have family assets, inheritances, and private education; others struggle to put food on the table, overpriced rented housing, and unemployment. Life's version of the board game isn't fair. The dice are loaded.

In both the game and reality, property is power. In Monopoly, whoever accumulates the most land wins. In life, owning property is often the gateway to security, influence, and long-term wealth. (read colonialism) Yet, for millions, property remains elusive, out of reach. Skyrocketing property prices, generational inequality, and systemic barriers keep many people stuck in the cycle of rent, debt, and instability.

Ironically, the game of Monopoly wasn't originally designed to celebrate capitalism. It was created by Elizabeth Magie in 1903, and she called it The Landlord's Game. Magie was a progressive thinker, and her game was intended as a way to look at economic inequality - a teaching tool to show how landlords grow rich while tenants struggle. Her version had two sets of rules: one that rewarded cooperation, and another that rewarded ruthless accumulation.

But when Charles Darrow later marketed the game to Parker Brothers during the Great Depression - claiming it as his own invention - the critique was lost. The cooperative rules were abandoned. The game we know today celebrates monopoly and domination, not fairness and reform. Magie's patent was quietly buried, and so was her message. It's a cruel twist of fate: a game designed to warn us about inequality became a symbol of it, the outcome also showed a gender bias, to not acknowledge the woman who created it. She was playing a game in a man's world.

In Monopoly, landing in jail is a setback. But later in the game, jail becomes a safe haven. Players stay there to avoid the heavy toll of rent and penalties. In life, that metaphor hits too close to home. A recent story from the UK illustrates this tragically well: following the mass release of 16,000 prisoners from overcrowded prisons in 2024, some expressed a desire to go back inside. Why? Because, as one put it, "It's a cruel world out here."

This isn't just about crime or punishment. It's about survival. For some, prison offers stability: a bed, meals, structure, and community - things sorely lacking in their outside lives. When people see prison as a better alternative to freedom, it signals a deep societal failure.

The world outside can indeed be cruel. A released prisoner may walk into homelessness, unemployment, addiction, or estrangement from family. With overstretched services, limited support, and public stigma, many find themselves lost in a system that claims to give second chances, but rarely does. It's like being told you can play again, but only after everyone else has already bought up the board.

The truth is, Monopoly is designed for someone to win big while others lose everything. But society doesn't have to work that way. We can rewrite the rules. We can invest in housing, education, mental health, and rehabilitation. We can create systems that emphasise inclusion over exclusion, care over punishment.

Because if life is just a game, then let's remember, we made the rules. And if the game isn't working for everyone, it's time to change how we play.

Not everyone needs to lose, for someone to win.