The big boards, when I started this project in 1971, before electronic trading, which my daughter calls the olden days, were the huge chalkboards that lined the walls of the many regional stock exchanges in most cities around North America. Guys would mark the bid and ask on these blackboards with chalk as they ran back and forth on suspended walkways, and communicated with the floor traders with a colorful array of hand signals. Every city with a stock exchange had a big board. I so wanted to be a floor trader, but that was a very coveted gig. I used to sit in the gallery and watch the action like a kid that got cut from the team.
Raiders, were always the unwelcome guests at the party. They were lawyers, accountants, investment bankers, brokers and hustlers. They were bright, lacked any conscience and they hunted in packs like Rapters. These are the real soldiers of fortune, they wear Armani not Cami.
This is not a silly game. It is a virtual stock market, where the players make the market, as does their personalities make the kind of game you will experience. That said, it is for anyone who likes a strategy game that requires some hustle, communication or even interactive math games.
It boils down to, what you do affects the market value of stocks, but also what you say. What you say is the fun part, the hustle, you are trying to use someone else’s money for your benefit or you could just agree to cooperate to manipulate the market. It is up to you.
Just trading stock is not what this game is about. We use the stock exchange as a means to an end. This is the cut-throat world of corporate takeovers, the ultimate power trip for the big DAWGs.
It is accurate for the principles of simple economic theories such as supply/demand and risk/reward, as well as the buzz from the floor of the exchange, where the men get separated from the boys.
The graphics and print quality is as good as I’ve seen on the best games. The certificates are on varnished card stock and have all the elements of a cert. The money is printed both sides and fits in your hand like money, to bring out the larcony and power trippers in us all.
The reason for this Blog is to bring your attention to the new kid on the block, called Big Board Raiders. The phrase “big board” is a registered trade mark of the New York Stock Exchange, which they acquired in 1978. I on the other hand, copyrighted the name “big board” for this game in 1974. I want to make it very clear, there is absolutely no connection between this game and the NYSE, none. In fact they don’t like that I use this name, but i owned the copyright before their trademark and I live in a different country. To not infringe on that Trademark, I copyrighted a later version by the name “big board raiders” in 2005, which is this version of the game. I know better than to make the big dog on the porch angry. So to all the lawyers at the NYSE, I come in peace, and I will not trade on your name and I will make it clear there is no affiliation.
This game is published by me and your relationship with the game Big Board Raiders is also with me, I take it personally. No big company here, just me and you. Thankfully, today people can self publish. If I were to get distributors, the price to you doubles for me to make my margin. So I’d rather stay small, keep the price to you reasonable and enjoy my little niche. This game will only be available through the internet, useless someone comes along with an obscene amount of money, and I mean really obscene then all promises are withdrawn, everyone has their price. Housekeeping… the three phrases in quotes are all registered trademarks of the New York Stock Exchange: “New York Stock Exchange”,”NYSE”,”Big Board”.
A stock trading game can require cumbersome conversion tables, calculators and constant number crunching if they are accurate simulations, or they are just plain silly and have nothing to do with reality. Over the years this well explored subject category, stock market games, has had many offerings. As a matter of fact, the very first game published by Parker Brothers was a stock market card game called “Pit”, which I assume had something to do with the trading pits. Now another stock market simulation, a good one, called Big Board Raiders.
It does not require intense concentration, no calculators, is not silly and is great for killing dead air of a visit with friends, great for a few laughs and best of all the kids can play too and you’ll be one of them. As well, nobody is eliminated because a winning condition ends the game and it was designed to be inclusive right to the end. If you played any of the “opoly” clones, you already know what to do, roll the dice and move.
This game, Big Board Raiders, has common and preferred shares, directorships with annual dividends, Time in quarters of years, Bonds and Debentures, Selling Short, Margin Calls, Options Trading with expiry and Rights Offerings. And they all behave as they do on real exchanges, except our stock exchange game takes place in a ficticious country called Rutland, back before electronic trading, where certificates were delivered.
This game is about a very serious problem that is going on right now. This is the next world war in my opinion and it is being fought right under our noses, no shots are fired, no bombs are dropped, and nobody seems to get it. Historically, when the resources of a nation were desired by another nation, there was an invasion and a war of occupation.
Today, anything worth owning is inside a corporation, and the really choice stuff is publicly traded on a stock exchange. As the world runs out of resources, the “have nations” through their companies can buy and are buying the good stuff, and leaving the marginal resources for the indigenous people. I do not consider the USA a have nation, the world is tiring of their printed IOU’s called the American dollar. It will soon be devalued.
Technorati Tags: Big Board Raiders, bigboardraiders, corporate takeovers, interactive math games, stock exchange game, stock market games, stock market simulation, stock trading game, virtual stock market
Charts courtesy of Stockcharts.com as at January 20, 2011
