RUPEE (The Legend of Zelda)
Worth: $3 (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 rupees = magical shield. Crappy shield on eBay
= $300
What It Means: U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke could
learn a couple of things from Hyrule's math whizzes, who have
kept the region's inflation rate at an astounding 0.00 percent
for over 20 years.
GTA DOLLAR (Grand Theft Auto III)
Worth: $25 (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 GTA dollars = Colt .45 Pistol (M1911 A1). Custom
model 1911 A1 pistol made by the Springfield Armory = $2,500
What It Means: If you do find a handgun for a hundred bucks
in the real world, you'll probably have to call Nerf for more
ammo.
COIN (Super Mario Bros.)
Worth: $37,000 (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 coins = 1 life. Human life = $3.7 million,
according to the Environmental Protection Agency
What It Means: What can we say? Girls dig guys with large coin
boxes.
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GOLD RING (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Worth: $103,000 (U.S.)
Methodology: 50 gold rings = A bonus-level shot at a chaos emerald
as big as your head. The largest emerald ever found was 86,136
carats, valued at over $5.2 million. In today's market, 50 real
gold rings, or about $10,000 worth of gold, will net you a 3.9-carat
emerald.
What It Means: On a side note, give one gold ring to your girlfriend
and you unlock the bonus stage where everything you do leads
to your life being over.
SIM DOLLAR (SimCity)
Worth: $611,000 (U.S.)
Methodology: 1,000 Sim dollars = baseball stadium. The new Washington
Nationals stadium = $611 million
What It Means: Think the government is the only waste in D.C.?
Each Nationals win in 2007 cost $13.70 in SimCity money, $8.4
million in today's economy.
MINERAL (StarCraft)
Worth: $25 million (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 minerals = Terran Vespene gas refinery. A gas
refinery in Arizona = $2.5 billion
What It Means: At this point, you might as well make a three-button
suit out of your worthless money and light yourself on fire.
ADAM (BioShock)
Worth: Infinity
Methodology: 1 murdered Little Sister = 160 ADAM. 1 real murdered
little sister = life in prison. You'll probably meet about 160
Adams there, too. Some may make you call them "Big Daddy."
What It Means: They use cigs as currency in the joint, so you're
better off with smokes than you are with C-notes anyway.
