Wall Street Kid is a game that takes players back to the early 1990s, a time when the world was much different from the present day. The game celebrates the accumulation of wealth and its subsequent effects on society, while also offering enough commentary to show that the developers are in on the joke. The game was challenging, and players needed to be skillful in their money management to complete it successfully.
In the game, players are required to prove their money management skills in the stock market to inherit their wealthy uncle’s $600 billion estate. They are given $500,000 to invest and only have one month to earn enough to purchase a “decent $1 million house.” Once they have acquired the house and made other significant purchases, the endgame is to buy back the family castle.
The game relies on a point-and-click interface, where players spend cash to buy stocks reflecting real companies popular at the time. They can also sell what they have and reinvest. In this way, players are investors buying and selling stocks based on day-to-day trends rather than anything inherent to the companies they represent.
A Game that Reflects a Society Obsessed with Wealth Accumulation
Wall Street Kid is a game that reflects a society obsessed with wealth accumulation. The game’s focus on accumulating wealth at all costs, including neglecting one’s physical health and loved ones, is a reflection of how society views wealth and its accumulation. The game’s protagonist must attend to his physical health and his fiancée, Prisila, or risk game-ending conditions.
The game presents the relationship between the protagonist and Prisila in a problematic light. Prisila is presented as a task to be completed, highlighting the transactional nature of the relationship. The protagonist must buy her things, or he risks losing the game, reducing their relationship to a cost in time and resources. The relationship is presented in an old-school and misogynistic fashion, where men view their wives as a burden.
Wall Street Kid is a game that emphasizes the value of everything as its ability to create more value, reducing the value of a home to its status as an “asset.” It reflects the late-stage capitalism prevalent in our society, where the economy revolves around doubling one’s money to buy a fancy house.
Wall Street Kid is a game that reflects society’s obsession with wealth accumulation. The game’s focus on accumulating wealth at all costs, including neglecting one’s physical health and loved ones, is problematic and reflects society’s views on wealth. While the game mirrors a bygone era, it is still relevant today, as our society continues to value wealth accumulation above everything else. However, there is hope that our society is changing, and we can aspire to something more significant than just accumulating wealth.
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