Wall Street Kid
Encyclopedia
Wall Street Kid is a video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System
.
The player must prove himself worthy by taking $500,000 in seed money
in order to gain a six-hundred-billion-dollar inheritance
from the extremely wealthy Benedict family. Successfully investing it in the American stock market
results in rewards like going shopping on the weekend and being able to acquire expensive items such as a house. The player is also encouraged to spoil his girlfriend, as all men of the Benedict family pampered their wives. If the player is unable to raise the money needed for a key item, such as a boat or the house, he is disowned by the family, in which case the game is over. Wall Street Kid is indirectly based on a series of Japanese Famicom games. These games were individually titled as Money Game and The Money Game II: Kabutochou no Kiseki
. In both games, the same goal to acquire as much money as possible remains.
However, Wall Street Kid uses American dollars
while Money Game uses Japanese yen
.
, where the player makes decisions on investments and other matters.
(from a couple of species) to a painting for the new house (choosing from two different fictional artists). The more expensive the item purchased is, the happier the player's significant other becomes.
All the companies listed in the game are parodies of real companies. For example, IBM
is listed as "YBM". Apple Computer
is listed as "Yapple Computers". The Greyhound Bus company is called "Strayhound", and Carnival Cruise Lines
is referred to as "Carnivore Cruise Lines".
wrote a "not so nice" review about Wall Street Kid. The review is supposed to be read as a humorous article, mentioning the "Nintendo logic" that plagued in the 1980s Nintendo games.
Wall Street Kid is, so far, the only game to win the highest possible score of zero (scores are almost always negative) on Something Awful
's ROM Pit feature.
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
.
The player must prove himself worthy by taking $500,000 in seed money
Seed money
Seed money, sometimes known as seed funding, friends and family funding or angel funding , is a securities offering whereby one or more parties that have some connection to a new enterprise invest the funds necessary to start the business so that it has enough funds to sustain itself for a period...
in order to gain a six-hundred-billion-dollar inheritance
Inheritance
Inheritance is the practice of passing on property, titles, debts, rights and obligations upon the death of an individual. It has long played an important role in human societies...
from the extremely wealthy Benedict family. Successfully investing it in the American stock market
Stock market
A stock market or equity market is a public entity for the trading of company stock and derivatives at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.The size of the world stock market was estimated at about $36.6 trillion...
results in rewards like going shopping on the weekend and being able to acquire expensive items such as a house. The player is also encouraged to spoil his girlfriend, as all men of the Benedict family pampered their wives. If the player is unable to raise the money needed for a key item, such as a boat or the house, he is disowned by the family, in which case the game is over. Wall Street Kid is indirectly based on a series of Japanese Famicom games. These games were individually titled as Money Game and The Money Game II: Kabutochou no Kiseki
The Money Game II: Kabutochou no Kiseki
is a Nintendo Family Computer game that is about investing money in the stock market.-Summary:All the benefits from the original Money Game are here. Like in the real stock market, the player must buy a stock at a low price and sell the stock when he feels that it is high enough to garner him a...
. In both games, the same goal to acquire as much money as possible remains.
However, Wall Street Kid uses American dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
while Money Game uses Japanese yen
Japanese yen
The is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
.
Gameplay
Most of the game is spent in a single office in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, where the player makes decisions on investments and other matters.
Office screen
- A newspaperNewspaperA newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
vaguely resembling the Wall Street Journal, which includes vague news items, the status of interest rates, and "Hot Stock" picks. - A computerComputerA computer is a programmable machine designed to sequentially and automatically carry out a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations. The particular sequence of operations can be changed readily, allowing the computer to solve more than one kind of problem...
(resembling an Apple Macintosh) where the player can buy and sell stocksStocksStocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...
, as well as research companies. - An investment adviser who, for $1,000, will give the player an insider hint on a particular company.
- An economistEconomistAn economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
who, for $500, will teach the player a quick lesson about economic matters, such as supply and demandSupply and demandSupply and demand is an economic model of price determination in a market. It concludes that in a competitive market, the unit price for a particular good will vary until it settles at a point where the quantity demanded by consumers will equal the quantity supplied by producers , resulting in an...
. - The bankBankA bank is a financial institution that serves as a financial intermediary. The term "bank" may refer to one of several related types of entities:...
, which loans money to the player after they have a house for collateralCollateral (finance)In lending agreements, collateral is a borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender, to secure repayment of a loan.The collateral serves as protection for a lender against a borrower's default - that is, any borrower failing to pay the principal and interest under the terms of a loan obligation...
. - A link to date the player's girlfriend by either taking her on a picnic, taking her shopping, or to a local carnival.
- A link for exercise, allowing the player to go swimming, work out, or go hikingHikingHiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
. - A clock that records the passage of time, and allows the player to skip ahead to the next day.
Goals
The game takes place over four months, during which the player, if successful, marries his girlfriend. Requirements to win the game are:- Buy a house that is worth exactly one million dollars.
- Buy a yachtYachtA yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
to take your wife on a honeymoonHoneymoon-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
. - Get married to your girlfriend.
- Win an auctionAuctionAn auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
for an old castle that once belonged to the Benedict family. - Raise enough money to purchase this castleCastleA castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
at the bid price.
Features
Additionally, on certain weekends, the player must take his fiancee/wife shopping for expensive items, ranging from a pet dogDog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
(from a couple of species) to a painting for the new house (choosing from two different fictional artists). The more expensive the item purchased is, the happier the player's significant other becomes.
All the companies listed in the game are parodies of real companies. For example, IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
is listed as "YBM". Apple Computer
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
is listed as "Yapple Computers". The Greyhound Bus company is called "Strayhound", and Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Cruise Lines is a British-American owned cruise line, based in Doral, Florida, a suburb of Miami in the United States. Originally an independent company founded in 1972 by Ted Arison, the company is now one of eleven cruise ship brands owned and operated by Carnival Corporation & plc...
is referred to as "Carnivore Cruise Lines".
Reception
Video game writer SeanbabySeanbaby
Sean Patrick Reiley , better known as Seanbaby, is an American writer best known for his comedy website and frequent contributions to video game media outlets Electronic Gaming Monthly and 1UP.com. He is also a regular contributor to the humor website Cracked.com...
wrote a "not so nice" review about Wall Street Kid. The review is supposed to be read as a humorous article, mentioning the "Nintendo logic" that plagued in the 1980s Nintendo games.
Wall Street Kid is, so far, the only game to win the highest possible score of zero (scores are almost always negative) on Something Awful
Something Awful
Something Awful, often abbreviated to SA, is a comedy website housing a variety of content, including blog entries, forums, feature articles, digitally edited pictures, and humorous media reviews. It was created by Richard "Lowtax" Kyanka in 1999 as a largely personal website, but as it grew, so...
's ROM Pit feature.