Monetary Topics in Game Design: Intro & Choice of Currency

Intro

In this series I will be discussing how to include money/economics in games, how economics can serve the story and theme of a game, how economics can integrate with other aspects of the game such as leveling.  The topics may wander a bit from there as I can lost in tangents sometimes.  I'll try to bring it all back together though.  In most instances the games discussed will be RPG's or MMO's because I really like those.  Other types of games such as casual games will get some mention, but not as much.  As part of including money/economics in games currency choice is an important one and it can support the story!  So, let's get started...

Choice of Currency

When deciding which currency to use, such as USD (US Dollar $) it's important to consider the setting of your game.  For example, if you write a game set in ancient China no one should be exchanging US dollars.  However, if the game is set in the near future in America, then $US is a reasonable choice.  For games set in historical settings using historical currency can be a good choice. One thing to look out for though, it's only relatively recently that currencies have become standardized.  Older currency frequently included coins composed of precious metals (gold, silver, etc.) that would be minted with the face of whomever was ruling at the point of the minting.  Afterwards those coins could lose value due to wear and tear, shaving, or be called back because a new ruler ascended to power.  When I say wear and tear that includes being bitten or bent as a means of detecting counterfeit coinage or simple damage because gold is a soft metal.  When a coin set was recalled or set aside the value of the gold itself wouldn't decrease, but depending on the transition of power it could prove dangerous to try to spend it.  With all that being said you might want to assume currency of a standard value, or do so most of the time except when motivated by story.  Standard values meaning that one gold coin is worth as much as another, not necessarily that identical items in different locations can be purchased with the same number of coins.  That's a matter of supply and demand. For example, as part of a plot hook to involve the character(s) in shutting down, joining, etc. a counterfeiters ring.  More on that later.

Another option are currencies that double as something else or are not based on rare metals.
Example: the Aztecs used cocoa beans and cotton as currency to augment bartering.  They also had a standardized length of cotton called the Quachtli.  Cocoa beans were used for small purchases and Quachtli or cotton cloth for larger purchases.
If selecting this option, then choose something the locals would have access to, but still has noticeable worth and usefulness.

Either way best to coordinate currency choice to the setting of your game.  A fantasy setting where dragons are always the enemy might have dragon scales as it's currency with different currency values based on scale color or scale size.  In the very distant future the currency might be Xyntaxian crystals which are also used to power FTL vessels.  There are many possibilities.

Now, however, I am for bed.  Next time: currency choice cont. with a focus on genre, atmosphere, and the option of tiered currency.