<p>Puerto Rico is an economic game but it's hardly purely capitalistic.  While you can trade goods for money, you get at least half if not more of your victory points by shipping goods, and each type of good is worth one victory point regardless of value.  However, I'm not sure what you mean when you say Catan is capitalist.  It's a pre-capitalist barter economy with no money.  You use raw materials to build settlements and roads, and there is no mention of leveraging worker's labor to maximize your personal wealth.  Perhaps you are conflating capitlism with societal /economic competition, which is not remotely the same thing.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-05-17T06:16:57.013Z
It does not mention worker's labor because it's a game, but if you translate the game's inner economical logic into real life (and that's what people tend to do with the cultural activities they participate in), it is very much about owning resources, let them "work for you" and win by being the richest person around.
Roy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-24T16:16:11.380Z
2012-11-24T16:16:11.380Z
Tom Crowe
<p>You may want to look at Indonesia. It's still outwardly capitalistic, but the concept of cooperation, mergers, and acquisitions gives you an alternative route to achieving your objectives.</p>

<p>It's a shipping game, and you can play as a production company, a shipping company, or a combination of both. Production companies must to rely on shipping companies to deliver their goods to cities, and must pay fees for using their network. This means you might have to rely on other players depending on your strategy, and other players will have to depend on you for their shipping companies to work. This setup makes for a very dynamic distribution of wealth within the game.</p>

<p>Mergers and acquisitions happen when companies start to combine on the board based on the division of land or shipping routes. This allows you to create bigger and more efficient shipping lines.</p>

<p>There's a nice rundown of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AACFSUTyWUE" rel="nofollow">the game on YouTube</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-21T13:37:30.243Z
2012-11-27T16:25:37.707Z
2012-11-27T16:25:37.707Z
Mohamad
<p>Since games usually need a winner, <em>crushing</em> your opponent is often just part of the process.  This is why I sometimes like to play cooperative games. My favorite is currently <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic_%28game%29">Pandemic</a>, but it is not an economic game like Monopoly/Catan (Pandemic's economic component consists mostly of making efficient use of limited <em>actions</em> and limited <em>turns</em>). </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-24T06:49:20.733Z
2012-11-24T06:49:20.733Z
monex0
<p>There is the "<em><a href="http://antimonopoly.com/" rel="nofollow">Anti-Monopoly</a></em>" which gets the game origins of the Monopoly, i.e. the Landlord's game.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-12-14T03:55:29.447Z
2012-12-14T03:55:29.447Z
air-dex
<p>Like most other decisions in <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/88513/chicken-caesar" rel="nofollow">Chicken caesar</a>, the tax rate is determined in a democratic way.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-25T18:39:40.117Z
2012-11-25T18:39:40.117Z
The Chaz 2.0
<p>The fact that the economic part is important but not predominant make 7 Wonder kind a more Social-democratic game than capitalism, since money is not the main objective of the game.</p>

<p>Plus, giving the choice you tend to buy resources from a poorer civilization.</p>

<p>Another game, which doesn't have economic dynamic at all, but do have a gameplay dynamic involving democratic resolution which tend to lean forward social-democratic behaviour is Mafia, surprising as it is considering the name. At the start of the game, the townpeoples do have their own destiny in hand, it's their choices, base on a ballot, that will eventually dictate the outcome of the game.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-04-10T13:19:48.267Z
2013-04-10T13:19:48.267Z
LittleViking26
<p>As much as I enjoy games like Monopoly or Settelers of Catan, I'm very concerned about the way these games affect players' concept of economy, as they demonstrate extremly capitalistic economical rules where the goal of each individual is to financially crush his/her friends.</p>

<p>I know that since competition is an important factor in many games, the use of capitalism is natural, but I'd anyway like to find out about any economical board games that demonstrate a different approach.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-21T13:12:13.207Z
There's anti-monopoly - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Monopoly
Tom77
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-21T19:01:22.673Z
there are a lot of online games that have actual real economies.  World of Warcraft, and Kingdom of loathing have supply/demand driven economies.  It's capitalism, but it's not cutthroat like Monopoly(which is not actually an example of capitalism by the way)
Sam I am says Reinstate Monica
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-11-30T09:12:27.507Z
Has anyone something to say about anti monopoly? I've seen it but never played.
One comment though, I don't believe the objective of most economical games is to crush; rather compete to be the biggest. That's human
quinestor
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-15T04:25:03.323Z
I can't imagine how socialism could make a remotely fun game. Even with competition aside, capitalism gives the players choice. With government (the game rules) controlling the economy, the game just plays itself. Where do the players fit into this?
tyjkenn
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-01-15T11:15:40.813Z
@tyjkenn The fact is I got some interesting answers so looks like competition is not the only way to enjoy life.. Also it's really not about the old dogmatic 'capitalism vs socialism' but a search for a new experience.
Roy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-11T22:33:55.717Z
You might be interested in the game "Mediocrity"

http://www.pagat.com/invented/mediocrity.html
YoungJohn
<catan><recommendations><monopoly>
Is there any economical game which demonstrates social-democratic economy rather than capitalism?
Roy
# Is there any economical game which demonstrates social-democratic economy rather than capitalism?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-11-21)

As much as I enjoy games like Monopoly or Settelers of Catan, I'm very concerned about the way these games affect players' concept of economy, as they demonstrate extremly capitalistic economical rules where the goal of each individual is to financially crush his/her friends.

I know that since competition is an important factor in many games, the use of capitalism is natural, but I'd anyway like to find out about any economical board games that demonstrate a different approach.

**Tags:** catan, recommendations, monopoly

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: There's anti-monopoly - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-Monopoly  
> **username_2**: there are a lot of online games that have actual real economies.  World of Warcraft, and Kingdom of loathing have supply/demand driven economies.  It's capitalism, but it's not cutthroat like Monopoly(which is not actually an example of capitalism by the way)  
> **username_3**: Has anyone something to say about anti monopoly? I've seen it but never played. One comment though, I don't believe the objective of most economical games is to crush; rather compete to be the biggest. That's human  
> **username_4**: I can't imagine how socialism could make a remotely fun game. Even with competition aside, capitalism gives the players choice. With government (the game rules) controlling the economy, the game just plays itself. Where do the players fit into this?  
> **username_0**: @username_4 The fact is I got some interesting answers so looks like competition is not the only way to enjoy life.. Also it's really not about the old dogmatic 'capitalism vs socialism' but a search for a new experience.  
> **username_5**: You might be interested in the game "Mediocrity"  http://www.pagat.com/invented/mediocrity.html  

---

## 6 answers

### Answer by username_6 on 2012-11-24. Score: 9

Puerto Rico is an economic game but it's hardly purely capitalistic. While you can trade goods for money, you get at least half if not more of your victory points by shipping goods, and each type of good is worth one victory point regardless of value. However, I'm not sure what you mean when you say Catan is capitalist. It's a pre-capitalist barter economy with no money. You use raw materials to build settlements and roads, and there is no mention of leveraging worker's labor to maximize your personal wealth. Perhaps you are conflating capitlism with societal /economic competition, which is not remotely the same thing.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: It does not mention worker's labor because it's a game, but if you translate the game's inner economical logic into real life (and that's what people tend to do with the cultural activities they participate in), it is very much about owning resources, let them "work for you" and win by being the richest person around.  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2012-11-21. Score: 7

You may want to look at Indonesia. It's still outwardly capitalistic, but the concept of cooperation, mergers, and acquisitions gives you an alternative route to achieving your objectives.

It's a shipping game, and you can play as a production company, a shipping company, or a combination of both. Production companies must to rely on shipping companies to deliver their goods to cities, and must pay fees for using their network. This means you might have to rely on other players depending on your strategy, and other players will have to depend on you for their shipping companies to work. This setup makes for a very dynamic distribution of wealth within the game.

Mergers and acquisitions happen when companies start to combine on the board based on the division of land or shipping routes. This allows you to create bigger and more efficient shipping lines.

There's a nice rundown of [the game on YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AACFSUTyWUE).


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2012-11-24. Score: 7

Since games usually need a winner, *crushing* your opponent is often just part of the process. This is why I sometimes like to play cooperative games. My favorite is currently [Pandemic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandemic_%28game%29), but it is not an economic game like Monopoly/Catan (Pandemic's economic component consists mostly of making efficient use of limited *actions* and limited *turns*).


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### Answer by username_9 on 2012-12-14. Score: 2

There is the "*[Anti-Monopoly](http://antimonopoly.com/)*" which gets the game origins of the Monopoly, i.e. the Landlord's game.


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### Answer by username_10 on 2012-11-25. Score: 2

Like most other decisions in [Chicken caesar](http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/88513/chicken-caesar), the tax rate is determined in a democratic way.


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### Answer by username_11 on 2013-04-10. Score: 0

The fact that the economic part is important but not predominant make 7 Wonder kind a more Social-democratic game than capitalism, since money is not the main objective of the game.

Plus, giving the choice you tend to buy resources from a poorer civilization.

Another game, which doesn't have economic dynamic at all, but do have a gameplay dynamic involving democratic resolution which tend to lean forward social-democratic behaviour is Mafia, surprising as it is considering the name. At the start of the game, the townpeoples do have their own destiny in hand, it's their choices, base on a ballot, that will eventually dictate the outcome of the game.


---

