Animal Crossing games have an in-game feature called the “Stalk Market.” Players may buy Turnips and sell it to make a profit, similar to how stock trading works.
The Animal Crossing Stalk Market is one of the ways to earn Bells, the game’s currency. On a good day, a player may earn millions by selling turnips.
At a glance, the mechanic works the same with the real-life stock market hence the in-game name. This inspired several players to try actual stock trading.
From in-game cash to real-life money
According to Bloomberg’s report, Angie Fung, 24, became a stock investor due to the hot game.
The game requires Bells to complete tasks such as building bridges and inclines. Thus the majority of players often enter the Stalk Market to rake in vast amounts of Bells.
Fung, like other players, started Stalk trading, and she got obsessed with it. The report mentioned that she put in countless hours researching the best trading practices.
Because of this demand, there are forums and Facebook groups dedicated to buying and selling Turnips.
Moving forward, Fung’s boyfriend saw that she is spending too much time on virtual currency. He pushed Fung into real-life trading.
Fung said, “that was the aha! moment,” adding that the concept is the same.
She started at US$1000 and bought shares from a cybersecurity firm as well as other penny stocks.
Besides workers, students had the time to play the game due to the global lockdown. A student, Jessica Amado, dedicated her time playing the stalk market.
While Fung got inspired by her boyfriend, Amado’s dad told her to start trading in real-life.
Amado started at $120. She bought 20 shares from a power corporation for only $5.60 each. Upon reaching $10 per stock, she sold her shares, giving her around $100 in profit.
Key differences to take note of
The concept might be the same, but there are differences between virtual trading and the actual stock market.
Real-life stock trading is more volatile. A stock may plunge or rise at any time of the day. Unlike in-game, wherein there are patterns, no one can easily predict how a stock may go.
That being said, Animal Crossing did not only entertain this COVID-19 pandemic. It paved the way for players to get better in managing their money.
Images used courtesy of Animal Crossing, @stereophotyp/Unsplash