Blacks & Whites

Lore & Background

Blacks & Whites was originally designed in 1970 by University of California, Davis, professor Robert Sommer and Judy Tart. The game was subsequently modified by students testing it out for Psychology Today, which had commissioned the project.

The gameplay is similar to Monopoly, with dice rolls determining movement. Players choose to identify as either 'Blacks' or 'Whites'; 'Blacks' start with $10,000, while 'Whites' start with $1,000,000. 'Blacks' are forbidden from directly purchasing property in the Suburban Zone and must have a net worth of $1,000,000 before buying Estate Zone properties. Each group has its own opportunity card deck. 'White' players are ejected upon bankruptcy, while bankrupt 'Black' players can collect $5,000 from each 'White' player. According to Wyatt H. Day of Swann Auction Galleries, 'the game is strategically designed to make a black win impossible'.

Reader's Guide

Blacks & Whites holds significance as an early example of a board game used explicitly as an educational tool to illustrate systemic economic inequality and racial privilege. According to Wired writer Sebastian Skov Andersen, the game 'was popular as an educational tool to teach people about privilege from a young age'. Its design deliberately stacked the rules against 'Black' players, making a win for that group impossible, which sparked discussion about structural barriers. However, the game received mixed critical reception. Writing for Simulation & Games, E. O. Schild described Blacks & Whites as a 'poor game' and an 'occasion for role-play', while also remarking that 'the weakness in the basic game structure outweighs the potential strength of the good ideas'. Despite its flaws, the game's legacy endures through its 50th anniversary edition and its continued use in discussions about privilege and game design as social commentary.

Origins & Creation

Blacks & Whites emerged in 1970 as a collaborative project between University of California, Davis professor Robert Sommer and Judy Tart. The game was not a purely academic exercise; it was commissioned by Psychology Today, which sought a board game that could serve as a teaching tool. After the initial design was completed, students at the journal's behest tested the prototype and offered modifications that shaped the final product. This partnership between academia and a psychology publication gave the project a distinct educational mandate from the start. Rather than being a commercial venture seeking mass-market appeal, the game was built with the intention of illustrating socioeconomic dynamics through structured play. The involvement of Psychology Today meant the game carried an implicit pedagogical purpose, positioning it apart from typical entertainment-focused board games of the era and embedding a social-science lens into every rule and card.

Gameplay Mechanics & Design Philosophy

The core loop mirrors Monopoly's dice-driven movement, but the strategic landscape is deliberately asymmetric. Players select an identity—either "Blacks" or "Whites"—and begin with vastly different bankrolls: $10,000 versus $1,000,000. The board is divided into four neighborhoods: the Ghetto Zone, the Integrated Zone, the Suburban Zone, and the Estate Zone. "Black" players face specific barriers: they cannot directly purchase Suburban Zone property and must accumulate a net worth of $1,000,000 before accessing Estate Zone parcels. Each group draws from its own opportunity card deck, further differentiating the experience. Bankruptcy rules are perhaps the most stark: "White" players are immediately eliminated, while "Black" players may survive on welfare, collecting $5,000 from every "White" player still in the game. Swann Auction Galleries' Wyatt H. Day summarized the design intent bluntly, stating the game is "strategically designed to make a black win impossible."

Reception & Critical Assessment

Critical responses to Blacks & Whites have been notably divided. Sebastian Skov Andersen, writing for Wired, highlighted the game's enduring popularity as an educational instrument, noting it was widely used to teach young people about privilege. This framing positions the game as a social commentary tool rather than a conventional pastime. E. O. Schild, writing in Simulation & Games, offered a more measured critique, describing the title as a "poor game" and an "occasion for role-play." Schild acknowledged the creative ambition behind the concept but ultimately concluded that structural weaknesses in the basic gameplay mechanics overshadowed the promising ideas at its core. The game was also reviewed in Moves, issue number 4, on pages 16 through 17, though the specific content of that review is not detailed in the available record. Together, these assessments paint a picture of a game that resonated strongly in educational circles while drawing criticism from game-design purists who felt its mechanics did not fully support its thematic ambitions.

Legacy & Revival

Although Blacks & Whites was designed in 1970, its cultural footprint extended well beyond that initial release. In 2021, the game received a 50th anniversary edition, a project undertaken by the comedy duo Never Sad, whose members are Nehemiah Markos and Jed Feiman. This reissue was produced with the explicit permission of Robert Sommer, the original co-designer, signaling his continued connection to the project decades after its creation. The involvement of a comedy act for the anniversary edition suggests the game had accumulated a certain cultural cachet that transcended its original educational context, becoming a recognizable artifact worth celebrating and reinterpreting. The 2021 release also underscores that the themes the game addresses—wealth disparity, systemic barriers, and the mechanics of privilege—remain relevant enough to warrant a new audience's engagement. For a board game born out of a Psychology Today commission, the fact that it still commands attention half a century later speaks to the lasting resonance of its core message.