James Place or Oriental Avenue, players thought more about winning the game than about which city was its inspiration. The street names within the game became as familiar as Main Street USA, from humble Baltic Avenue to exclusive Boardwalk. It spurred arguments concerning who would assume the role of the banker, how much money would each player get, and how to properly pronounce “Reading Railroad.” (pronounced red-ding). It added names and phrases to the cultural lexicon such as community chest, luxury tax, free parking, and water works. A popular game, for years, drove players to toss a pair of dice and move their tokens around a square board accumulating properties, paying fines, receiving revenue, building structures, and even landing in jail.
