Wall$treet, Indeed: Financial Games of the ’80s

I’ve mentioned the unfortunately named Stephen M. Cabrinety Collection blog a couple of times, but I really do love it — I’m always curious to see what gems will be dredged up from the archives. Following on the heels of a post from Owen on five games to play during a stock market crash comes a post showing what (some) people were playing during the financial downturn of 1987. In addition to some less stimulating titles from ‘Blue Chip Software,’ we get the fantastic box art of Wall$treet and the dismal sounding Black Monday, among others:

That’s right, a game about the stock market crash of 1987, made in 1987. By current standards 500 points in a day is just a hiccup, but back in the early days it was enough to fuel a whole game. Wonder if there will be a game soon called “The Big Bailout”, featuring real-time Henry Paulson supplication controls. Anyway, at least the current financial situation isn’t very dire for computer-based games, sales being up 43% and all. Guess people may not want to play a game about the fall of the financial system during the fall of the financial system, but I wish they would. It’s a great opportunity to teach and engage with a current problem that is definitely predicated by the playing of financial games in the late-80s, okay maybe not.

It’s a fun look back at some not terribly scintillating-sounding titles (but leaping brokers? C’mon).

Financial Woes [How They Got Game]