The Game

2014 was certainly a scandalous and eventful year on the market, with everything from fat finger trades and money laundering, to rigging in the metal and foreign exchange markets. Then those unexpected market twists to keep us on the edge, collapsing oil and commodity prices and nearly every pundit and his dog trying to outdo themselves by predicting when the next big crash is likely to take place.

So as the holiday season approached, you would have perhaps expected traders and bankers to be jumping at the prospect of being able to take the time out to do something completely different, to relax and take their minds off the uncertainties. Maybe a little bit of travelling, or high adrenalin sports for the young and adventurous, or just roast a few chestnuts over the open fire with their pet by their side, perhaps taking time to unwind from the adrenaline rush of making deals that could make or lose small fortunes in such a short time.

But anything that gives pain or pleasure, profit or loss, and a shot of adrenaline, can also be addictive. With trading desks vacant over the festive season, the trader or banker needs to satisfy their urge somehow.

So maybe it’s no surprise that the bestselling game amongst the financial elite this season is not scrabble, Cluedo or monopoly but a new game called, wait for it, Market Meltdown.

While you may be chuckling, I can assure you that the inventor of the game is laughing even louder, Market Meltdown is the bestselling game in the square mile.

The bestselling game is sold by Peter Jones, the department store which functions as a local corner shop for bankers and hedge fund managers living in Kensington and Chelsea, the London borough where the average house price has now reached more than £2m.

The game’s maker, Clarendon Games, said sales had more than doubled this year. And Will Sorrell, one of the game’s creators, said that there had been particular interest from finance professionals.

“We wanted to create a financial trading game that forced players to behave in a way that led to the financial crisis,” he said of the game, which has wannabe ruthless traders moving around the board by private jet.

“I assume the people that are making big investments make their decisions based on rational reasons, but they tell me that markets aren’t always rational,” explained Sorrell, whose father was a stockbroker in the “boom and bust” 1980s.

So how does Market Meltdown work?

It is a brand new board game where, instead of merely watching a financial crisis unfold, you could make billions of pounds from it! “A game only for those with nerves of steel”, claim the makers. But of course you need to be slick and cool enough to resist the widespread panic to make your fantasy fortune.

Players take on the role of traders betting hundreds of millions on behalf of the bank. Just like investing in the real stock market, you can win and lose big. Every trading day, the momentum of the meltdown gathers pace and depletes your funds at an increasing rate. But in this game you don't stay on the side lines, instead, as the game progresses you’re forced into bigger and more desperate stock market gambles in order to stay in the game. The last player to remain afloat, to survive, wins it all!

Part of Market Meltdown is in a familiar board game format, part roulette with a twist. Apparently you don’t need financial wizardry or even betting knowhow to win Market Meltdown. “Just a smattering of skill, a cool head and a little luck as you move your piece (a private jet, naturally) around the board.”

So how are profits made?

Money is made by gambling on the stock market. The stock market is represented by the roulette wheel. What happens when lady luck is against you?

When you are at risk of bankruptcy you can quickly borrow up to a billion pounds by “going rogue”.

You need to go easy with this strategy because it’s like walking a tightrope, after all, nothing’s for nothing (unless you own the racetrack) and soon you'll have to pay this loan back with a high interest rate. So you have got to play the game like a good horse, run like a thoroughbred! Make that quick return with that borrowed money. But you better make sure not to lose the money or you will be taken off the racetrack and minced into dog meat, you'll be out of the game.

There are other factors to add to the fun, such as luck cards, market data, banker’s bonuses and more. Will you be quids in and luck out? Blow away your competitors or blow out yourself?

“By encouraging players to borrow liberally and take massive risks we wanted not only to provide lots of fun but also help people avoid making the same mistakes in the future,” said the game maker.

Maybe this might be a game for the kids too. It sounds remarkably similar to real life!

The game suggests that there's no problem with being a rogue within the system, so long as you just win!

But they need to be 12+ to play Market Meltdown, so maybe they can get their practice first playing “Hunger Games.”

Art, culture, entertainment reflects the era of the day. Why not create a game that enhances the soul and spirit of people? Maybe that's naive, we are in a dog eat dog world.