So, is there a trope to describe virtual money, like Pokecoins (from the main pokemon games and Pokemon Go), Vbucks, Munnies, Gils, Units, and such.
I noticed that virtual currency comes in two or three forums: one that can be earn to level grinding, finding them in the game (i.e. breaking vases), rewarded or being dropped when playing games, using real money to buy real world merch, or buying them from prepaid cards for loot boxes.
Hm. I'm surprised we don't already have a page on Game Currencies. Maybe it should be created. I can think of several examples off the top of my head, with City of Heroes' half-dozen or so (infl, reward merits, hero/villain merits, shards, threads, etc.) and those in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (galleons, scrolls, spellbooks, restricted section books) coming to mind first and foremost.
Here's what I whipped up in my sandbox. https://allthetropes.org/wiki/User:Jade_Shauni/sandbox
Ooooh, that's a tricky one.
If we're discussing virtual currency as a real-world thing, then it's a Useful Note. If we're discussing virtual currency as a tool for storytelling, then it's a Trope.
What approach do people want to take?
Most of the stuff that I've seen is tied to reality. Plus, it doesn't help that they're usually an "premium" version of money
Ooh, this sounds like a proper tricky one indeed.
Virtual currency as a term is a recent development (say, 2012), but there's an established precedent of virtual goods and the like going back much further, at least from a casual googling of the subject.
My question regarding Virtual Currency: The Trope is, what is the tool's purpose in the stories featuring said currencies, outside of establishing the fact that the setting is an MMO or what have you?
@Umbrie the Phantom, I don't have any specific examples as to how virtual currency affects the story because I've mostly played war games a few years ago. But, I can see it being handed out as a reward for finishing a quest, which is something a lot of regular games do.
Virtual goods and virtual currency are two different things, though. Apple will happily sell you a virtual record album for real money, and Daz3D will sell me a virtual model for real money or virtual "store credit".
Not really.
What I had an mind was an "apples & oranges" kind of thing, except that the exchange rate between the two heavily favors the oranges and you can easily buy around a thousand of them for 20 bucks.
Oh, my mind was on RPGs, Pokemon Go, Ubiworkshop, and TF2, so I was thinking more about virtual coins that ya pick up during gameplay (i.e. defeating foes, opening up boxes/treasure chests, and side quests that NPCs want ya to do) and in that simplistic fashion that ya guys saw now. Also, I was thinking "Useful Notes" since too many games uses virtual money from the simple early Legend of Zelda all the way up to the most complex battle royales or MMORPG.
I think two separate pages are needed.
One for just your normal coins like in Mario, if such a page doesn't exist, make that one a trope.
And one about micro-transaction virtual currency, make that a Useful Notes.
Here's what we have in the way of Currency Tropes. I don't see either of those on that list, so feel free to create new pages!
While I'm not sure that list is complete, this is more or less how Microtransactions work: You buy a game and pay extra for something cosmetic or to gain an exclusive weapon.
The lists are never complete... :)
I just added Microtransactions to the Currency Tropes list. Thanks for catching that one.
Speaking of lists I was looking for a category for platforming games And it turns out that two of them are mostly empty "Platformers" & "Platform Games"
Agree with ya, Rabid, I think I got confused since virtual currency can also be obtained via microtransactions. A bit my fault about trying to moosh everything that I can think of in one page.
I agree with LulzKiller about the two separate pages for the virtual currency, one for the in-game obtainable ones (i.e. Mario coins) and the other for the ones that can be obtain via microtransactions/loot box.
So, where would ya placed stuff like the Units currency, the ones that Ubisoft rewards ya with when ya play their games or buy merchandise from their online store? Or is it too early, since we're just brainstorming.
I have a feeling that in the in-game money page would be kind of large, considering that it's one of the defining traits of RPGs and most of the Mario Party games
In the case of in-game money, we just have to use the notable examples on the trope page, and just let nature take its course on work pages.
I would be fine with listing them off by which series has them and how you spend them.
That should be good; also anything that subverts or parodies is also particularly recommended. If the page somehow (it won't) gets too large, we can easily split into subpages by genre.
Yeah, in this specific context we're discussing virtual currency in the sense of "in-game currency that is obtainable via microtransactions and other similar methods" as opposed to "currency that exists in a video game" (which imo is a bit too broad). For the latter, sticking to notable examples, subversions, parodies, etc. is fine imo.
So coins in, say, a lot of Mario platformers are just collectibles that don't really affect anything, and usually can't even be spent; but the coins in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga are used for a few notable gags and a plot thing, so that'd definitely be noteworthy.
It's worth mentioning that the major Mario series that do allow to spend them are Paper Mario, Mario & Luigi, and your typical Mario Party game.
Sonic, on the other hand, only does this with Sonic Chronicles for items and defensive equipment. There's also Sonic Rush Adventure but that's more of an crafting thing.
Would Units purely fit into a non-existent page about Loyalty schemes ala AirMiles or Tesco Clubcard? Or would we make that a 2nd sub-category of the microtransactional?
That would make a good useful notes page...Except that there's at least one Zelda game that has an loyalty scheme.
Well, Lulz, I see them as halfies, one can obtain Units normally by completing challenges that are within any Ubisoft games but they can be used to redeem for rewards. But buying from the official store will also give ya Units. Though some of the redeemable rewards, like certain virtual skins, weapons, and such are exclusive.
Sources: https://support.ubi.com/en-us/Faqs/000012380/What-Are-Club-Units
$30 cap is used as an example, one buys it, ya get 30 Units. https://store.ubi.com/us/official-cap---us-nationals/5bfc251c88a7e3a3aaacb2ff.html?lang=en_US
From the games that I play, virtual currency do not have much impact with the story. They were just optional stuff that ya use to buy weapons, skins, healing items, and other supplies from the sales guy. Or in the case with games that are similar to Mario and Sonic games, the coins are just there to judge on how well you play, sometimes dropping supplies and an extra life, if ya score big.