Hasbro’s The Game of Life, in its current form, debuted in 1960, but its origins can be traced back much further than that. In fact, the original game it was based on was released the same year Abraham Lincoln became president. The Checkered Game of Life, as it was initially called, was the first board game designed by Milton Bradley way back in 1860. However, there were some significant differences between the two versions.
For starters, there were no cute little plastic cars and colorful peg people in the game’s earliest incarnation. Players navigated a modified checkerboard with the help of a teetotum, starting at infancy and hopefully making their way to “happy old age.” However, much like The Checkered Game of Life’s successor, a person’s ultimate fate was left up to chance. And, boy, was there a good chance of some unfortunate things happening to them.
The Original ‘Game of Life’ Was So Dark That Suicide Was a Possible Outcome
Although it’s possible to end up bankrupt in the modern variant, at least dying isn’t one of the outcomes, right? After all, that would make it The Game of Death, wouldn’t it? Correction: that makes it The Checkered Game of Life. Among the horrible things that can transpire as the game progresses are imprisonment, disgrace, and even suicide. Yeah, sadly, you’re given no choice but to kill yourself if you land on the “suicide” space—which, by the way, is illustrated with a creepy image of a man hanging from a tree.
In celebration of The Checkered Game of Life’s 100th anniversary, the Milton Bradley Company introduced the less gruesome edition that we know today. The newer, updated Game of Life has sold over 70 million copies to date and is available in 26 languages. Amazon MGM Studios is also developing the concept into a movie as we speak. Plot details are still under wraps at the moment, but it’s safe to assume that suicide won’t be factoring into this adaptation, either.
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