Money, or at least the idea of money, is central to oh so very many geek-centered games. Go ahead, start listing all of the games you play that deal with treasure, or rent, or the value of weaponry and armor.
And yes, within each game, you’ll quickly learn the ins and outs of how much everything is worth and how much time you’ll have to spend to get that value out. But why not take it a step further and broaden your concept and understanding of money as a whole? Consider the following as a general pathway.
Research Real Money
If you want to understand how geek money works, start with learning about real money. Learn about real gold and real silver. Learn how rubles translate to dollars, and how value changes with limited resources. You’ll be fascinated how many games represent reality quite well in this regard, and you can use that knowledge to deepen your experience inside the gaming community at large. Even just knowing the language will help you communicate your needs and desires.
Learn How To Do the Math
In lots of games, there are interest rates. There are devaluation rates. There are ways to coordinate different qualities of the game with how fast you earn money, how you can invest that money in the attributes of the game, and how to generally make finances move faster. Learn about interest rates in real life! That mentality will translate directly into the gaming universe, and will give you a competitive advantage, and if you have teammates, they will appreciate your level of expertise as well, especially if it travels over more than one type of gameplay.
Pay Attention to Subscription Value
When gaming, it’s easy to think to yourself about how much subscription rates cost, and go either ‘holy cow that’s a lot!’ or ‘geez, that’s nothing at all!’ But a little bit of critical thought goes a long way. How much time are you spending playing? How much fun are you having? How can you equate the subscription rate to your hourly enjoyment? You may be surprised that the quality of entertainment you get is not what you expected, be it either better or worse.
Use Your Smarts To Invest
Once you’ve mastered investing in the process of gameplay, consider investing in real life. The principles are the same, so why not try your hand at giving yourself a good yearly bonus just by being smart about the stock market?
Understand the Value of Cost and Benefit
One of the most important aspects of money is the idea of cost and benefit, whether you are talking about the geek aspect of money in buried treasure and magical armor, or the real aspect of money in trading your time for dollar signs. Be sure to keep that equation how you want it!