In-Game Gold

Gaming, Table-Top Demo

This is a little experiment / table-top demo that I highly advise.

Whenever I give a table-top demo, I feel compelled to also issue a small warning. A table-top demo is not a quiz, it is not a brain-twister, it is not an idea. A table-top demo is a hands on activity that one is supposed to actually care out.

Typical process:

  1. hear nifty idea for table-top demo,
  2. instantly intuit something or other that the demo is sure to illustrate,
  3. never actually do the demo.

I highly recommend the following:

  1. hear nifty idea for table-top demo,
  2. instantly intuit something or other that the demo is sure to illustrate,
  3. do the demo anyway.
  4. confirm that what you thought was gonna happen does.
  5. AND, along the way discover several nifty things that you would otherwise not have encountered.

It is because of #5 (discover several nifty things that you would otherwise not have encountered) that I strongly suggest you actually do the suggested table-top demo.

So, obligatory warning out of the way, here is the suggested table-top demo:

In-Game Gold

1) Start  playing a game such as Zelda (from the original if you have it). Zelda is most likely the best all around video game ever.

Play the game for a short while. Accrue some gold. Look at the amount of gold you have. Tell yourself (aloud is best) “Hey, I have 1000 (the actual number) gold.” Exit the game. Now, ask yourself (again, aloud is best) “I have left the game, did I take the gold with me?”

2) Start  playing a game such as Diablo II. In case you don’t know, Diablo II is vastly superior to its successor Diablo III.

Play the game for a short while. Accrue some gold. Look at the amount of gold you have. Tell yourself: “Hey, I have (fill in number here) gold.” Exit the game. Now, ask yourself: “I have left the game, do I have the gold with me?”

3) Start  playing a table-game such as Monopoly.

Play the game for a short while. Accrue some money. Count the money you have. Tell yourself: “Hey, I have (fill in number here) dollars.” Put the Monopoly set away — along with ALL of the parts, properties, etc. Walk away from the table. Now, ask yourself: “I have left the game, where is the money from the game?”

4) Reflect on each of the above games for a moment or two. Answer the question: “Given that I could not take gold or money from the game, what if anything was I able to take away from the game?”

Repeat the above demo a couple or more time is you wish. It is very possible that you will get new answers with each repetition.