I am good at this. All my investments—fruitfully diversified across construction, telecoms, finance—are trending upwards. My contacts are a rarefied mix of the Japanese business world, a medley of glad-handing CEOs, shareholders and other people who seem to have a lot of money despite doing very little at all. The world is kind, my future is bright. I am living. I am thriving. I am going to prison for insider trading. Wait. What?
This is Stonks-9800, which just hit early access. I'm having an absolute blast with it right now. Set in the glittering, infinitely growing Japan of the 1980s economic boom, Stonks is a stock-trading sim that tasks you with building up a portfolio of shares to catapult you from your dingy 1-bed flat to a gleaming Daikanyama tower block. By carefully studying prevailing market conditions, interrogating the long-term business strategies of prospective investees, and adhering to a set of rigid ethical standards, you can carve out a fortune to support yourself and your family for generations.
