“Don’t Buy the Dome” and other lessons from the 1996 Houston version of Monopoly.

Houston Public Media

Monday night at 8 on Houston Public Media TV 8, American Experience presents Ruthless: The Secret History of Monopoly..

The program delves into the gripping true story of one of America’s favorite board games.

The show shows that the game’s official origin story… is not entirely true. And who actually created it – and why – is amazing. Let’s just say it wasn’t originally supposed to be what it is: a celebration of unbridled greed.

Reflecting on our memories of playing Monopoly over the years, the Houston Matters team decided they should play the officially licensed 1996 Houston version of Monopoly (which producer Michael Hagerty had borrowed from a closet in the house). his relatives). ).

The game is adorned with favorite Houston landmarks including the Astrodome, Space Center Houston, and the Houston Children’s Museum.

But some places on the board are places and things that have changed names or disappeared entirely, including Foley’s Department Store, Wyndham Warwick Hotel, and Houston Lighting & Power.

In the audio above, you can listen to Michael (using the boot as a symbol) sit down in the studio to play Monopoly Houston with Craig Cohen (playing the thimble), Joshua Zinn (the car), and Troy Schulze (the car). dog).

They reflect on their memories of playing the game over the years and the lessons learned from playing that version of the game now that they are adults, all while repeating the Houston elements of that particular game.

For example, for quite a long time no one landed on the Astrodome and bought it, so nothing was done with real estate. Sounds familiar? And Craig contributes to the ongoing problem of overcrowding by constantly ending up in jail.

As the game drags on into the second hour, Michael remembers to build houses and hotels on the grounds of his light blue restaurant, and during that hour, even as the rest of the team is here and there securing a strange Monopoly, it becomes clear that Michael took control of the game. He has a lot of money, houses and hotels in abundance. And everyone else keeps landing on them.

While no one is completely bankrupt yet, the property is mortgaged as everyone tries to tiptoe around an increasingly unfriendly government. In the end, we remember that we all work to make a living, and we need to wrap up. So, we declare Michael the winner.

Satisfied that we’ve experienced as much of the Houston Monopoly as we can handle, we reflect on what we’ve learned from the experience.

Michael notes that this particular version of the game is a reminder of how much Houston has changed over the years and he forgot how long the game takes.

Troy offers simple advice: “Maybe not buy the Dome.”

But Josh probably sums it up best.

“The idea of ​​playing Monopoly is more exciting than playing Monopoly,” he said.

He said that once you set up the board, split the money, and get a feel for the length of the game, the excitement will not be long in coming.

“So, yeah, when it comes to playing Monopoly, it seems like your eyes are bigger than your stomach.”