Is GW a good way to teach kids about money?

Hi all, this just occurred to me. Given the in-game economy in GW (or any online game that has an in-game economy), this may present a good opportunity to teach kids about money in real-life. Through simulated accumulation, spending, and trading of wealth, kids can learn about financial matters in real-life. Normally, in a one-person game, the economy is simulated and not much can be garnered from it in terms of learning about finances; however, in an online environment, where everything is dynamic, and you interact with real people in real time, I think something can be said about educating kids on the importance of being financially responsible. They will learn how to accumulate money, how to spend (or not spend) money, the basics of trading, and access to a vibrant (if somewhat unregulated) economy. And as much as I hate to say it, even buying money from EBay will teach kids that nothing is perfect in the real world, and that some people will invariably use underhanded tactics to gain an advantage in life.

Personally I think these are all very valuable lessons for kids nowadays, and I think GW could serve as a pretty darn good tool for teaching them the basics of such things. What do you guys think?

Seen on last week's Star Ledger: classified section;

WTS RARE HOUSE +4 BEDROOM 15>50 NICE EDUCATION ZONE 100k+60ECTOS OBO! PST NO NOOBS!

Kill an enemy get his loot. IS THAT WHAT YOU WANNA TEACH YOUR KIDS?!

Well... yeah, but the "kill" should be interpreted as "hostile take over", "enemy" as "rival competition", and "loot" is "merger resolution".

Well, I wasn't saying that everything in the game should be emulated, neither was I saying everything in the game is morally or ethically correct. But even so, I think learning can still occur. I was focusing more on the financial aspect of things, and if learning about such things can be made fun in doing so, then why not?

Heres what i think kids will learn:

Never trust anyone!

I'm afraid you're right, yeah. The game does seem to draw out the latent capitalist in people.

EDIT: also I wouldn't say that the lesson learned is "kill and enemy and take his loot", it's more "work hard for the loot, or be a smart invester/trader".

I dont think so....it will teach kids that you kill lots of things to get money and then blow it all on expensive things......they dont know what its like to be poor in the real, and in gw having 0 cash doesnt stop you from playing.

I don't think thats a bad thing at all since it's mostly true.

Does having 0$ stop you from living? Of course you'll die if you can't buy anything to eat and such but there is always free food for the homeless. And the beggers in town can practice their tactics for their later life on the streets :P

Hmm, that's a very good point that I haven't thought of. I guess that's the difference between a game and real-life. My take is that even though that there is a "cushion" in game, there're still many disadvantages to having 0 cash, and most will try to stay away from that situation if they can. The game shields them from the crueler realities of life, while teaching them invaluable experiences that may come in handy later in life. It's kind of like a tutorial, in my opinion.

I think Parents should be Parents. I don't think a game should inflict good/bad morals. If a "kid" is learning life lessons from a game, then they have much bigger problems. Parents stop watching Reality TV and get with Reality.

Well some aren't learning much, especially when they endlessly beg =P.

this game is rated 12+
no kids allowed

They economy in GW will screw them up, the over inflated prices and the amounts they deal with in GW has nothing at all to do with Real Life.
Specialy if they have accese to mom and dad's credit card (e-bay gold).

The GW economi is such that you can buy anything you want, there is no reality to it. Real life money don't drop on the ground every time you walk out side. Everything you need in life has to be paid for one way or another, in GW if you need a weapon you go kill some monsters and then you can trade( sell and buy) they drops for what you need. You have no monthly bill's you must save up for. What it teaches is, you want it buy it, get some more loot.

lol 12-19 is still Kids, unless they have a job and earn their own living

Maybe having 0 gold for X day's should freez your account for the same amount of day's just to teach kid's to save a bit for a rainy day

I agree. Parents should be parents. However, if someone is already playing the game, it couldn't hurt to learn something in the process. I'm not advocating GW as a learning tool, just seemed to me that this could be an added bonus.

I don't think that it will teach them too much about the real world economy, but it will teach them to stand up for themselves when it comes to matters of money.

In other words, it will teach them to negotiate and stand up for their position when they believe that it is right.

Sorry if I wasn't clear on what the definition of a "kid" is in my OP. Personally, I don't like to judge people on age, but rather on maturity. A 13-year-old can be just as mature as a 30-year-old, and vice versa, it really depends on the person.

If you want to teach your kids about economics, buy them books on economics.

GW is nowhere near to real life business/economics, too many reasons to detail why. I say that from running my own business too...

GW is an entertainment package, not an educational tool.

I really don't think it is. If I spent money in real life like I do in guild wars I'd be homless living under a bridge. Take for example; a day before the dragon festival I have alittle of 800k, I then spent about 300k on those damn tickets, I spent about 100k on keys and other stuff for the elite mission and This weekend I spent about 150k on keys and buying unided, and now I have alittle over 100k left in the bank. My point is In this game I'm an implusive buyer, I buy what I wanted and didn't really care how much it cost, and then I sometimes regret buying the stuff. I think alot pf people in these games act this way, and if they we're to carry that way of money mangagement or lack of into real life they'd be very sorry.

You may be able to teach your kids some basic stuff, but you'll do much better by them by teaching them about RL money IRL. Besides, RL lessons will stick with them,they know GW is only a game.