Princeton Monopoly Box

Students

Benjamin Edwards
Politics, 2020

Raphael Sitbon-Taylor
Politics, 2020

Daniel Sitbon-Taylor
Politics, 2021

Henry McGrath
2020

Project Description

As our group initially planned for our EPICS coursework this past fall, we all came to an agreement that in servicing and strengthening the local community, it is important for people of all ages to communicate more personally albeit the existence of universal technology. We reflected on our childhoods, and all shared a memory of playing Monopoly with friends and family. In order to spend a bit less time on our phones and communicate face-to-face with our loved ones more, we decided to expand on the generic Monopoly concept and tailor its premise toward the local community. Rather than design the standard thin surface and game pieces which sit in a thin, cardboard box, we decided to design an elegant, wooden Monopoly Box. The gameboard surface, which includes local restaurants, eating clubs, and buildings on the Princeton campus, is designed as a sliding lid to form the top of the wooden box and is held in place as the lid of the box by grooves that are carved within the walls. The surface board was cut with a saw and the game design was laser engraved on. Within the box, 3D printed customized game pieces and game cards made in the lamination machine are stored. Rather than let the typical, cardboard Monopoly box sit on a cluttered shelf in your home, instead this Monopoly box could prominently be featured on a coffee table or above a mantle as a decorative item.

Technical Background

Because our project is not highly scientific, it is a bit challenging to bring analysis to the way in which our project works. The friction between the surface board and grooves carved into the box walls suspend the board as a lid. If the box is turned upside down, the grooves hold the surface board in place and mitigate effects of gravity. We created our game pieces with the 3D printing machine, which uses an additive process to lay down layers of material. The 3D printing material is heated until it becomes a liquid substance, and dries as it falls into place among added layers.

No references

Design Drawings

Fabrication Process

As our project initially began, we made plans to start by designing our spin on the Monopoly game board. We found recycled wood and cut it down to standard game 14.5 x 14.5 inch dimensions. Then, the group designed the surface board on adobe illustrator, and then used the laser engraving machine to implement this design. We then started to design our game cards which we created with the lamination machine, and found Princeton fitting game piece designs which we 3D printed. Transitioning from just the monopoly board, we started to make plans to turn it into a box. We cut panels of wood and planned for the Monopoly game board to be the lid. The group designed a sliding lid, where on the side walls of the box there is a carved indentation that fits the edges of the gameboard. When the game board is slid into the indentations on the walls, it can be pushed all the way in to create a box top. Game cards and pieces can be stored within the box, and out of site when it is closed. Finally, we used wood glue to join all of the wooden pieces so that it would become a sturdy, wooden box.

Students

Project Description

Technical Background

Design Drawings

Fabrication Process

Final Result