Should games include a bank system that rewards players with interest for saving their points?

[cpvr]

Over time, some pet sites and simulation games have introduced banking systems that allow players to earn interest on the points they save in the game.



The more points you have in the bank, the higher your interest rate, enabling you to collect more interest and earn extra points over time.





However, do you think this is a good or bad feature? Does it help maintain the flow of points in the game, or does it create an unbalanced economy when users benefit from high interest rates?





What are your thoughts on implementing a banking system? Are interest rates a good idea for a pet site to encourage users to save their points?

 

[Noah]

IMO, from a player’s perspective, a bank account is a necessary feature if currency plays a role in your game. Even if you don’t want to offer interest for economical reasons, it’s important to have somewhere to put excess money. I believe it’s Santae that is reworking their bank feature and so players are having to use their shop tills as a bank account and trust that other players won’t run with their points during the exchange. After observing this, I will ensure that my future game has a functional bank system before opening.

 

[cpvr]

IMO, from a player’s perspective, a bank account is a necessary feature if currency plays a role in your game. Even if you don’t want to offer interest for economical reasons, it’s important to have somewhere to put excess money. I believe it’s Santae that is reworking their bank feature and so players are having to use their shop tills as a bank account and trust that other players won’t run with their points during the exchange. After observing this, I will ensure that my future game has a functional bank system before opening.

I think it would be interesting to see a feature where users could transfer funds directly between bank accounts, rather than relying solely on trades or auctions. Since Santae doesn’t have a trading post or auction system yet, players currently have to trust each other when making transactions, which isn’t always ideal.


Marapets has a system where users can exchange one currency for another, which I find pretty neat. It adds another layer of financial strategy to the game.



When it comes to interest rates, they need to be carefully balanced. A rate that’s too high can flood the economy with excessive points, leading to inflation. However, rewarding players who accumulate large amounts of in-game currency especially those with millions of points is also important.



For reference:
Neopets, Marapets, and Powerpets offer interest on banked currency.
Subeta and Flight Rising do not have interest-bearing bank accounts.
Webkinz has a bank feature (Town Hall Piggy Bank), but it doesn’t offer interest.


Having a functional bank system is essential for any game where currency plays a major role. Even without interest, players need a secure place to store their excess funds to keep transactions smooth and prevent unnecessary risks.



Which game do you think handles in-game currency the best?

 

[Noah]

Marapets has a system where users can exchange one currency for another, which I find pretty neat. It adds another layer of financial strategy to the game.

I remember when this was implemented, I think in 2008 or 2009? It was definitely needed because people were scamming on trades.

Which game do you think handles in-game currency the best?

Going off features of games I play, I guess I’m inclined to say Marapets. The economy has its many flaws but the stock market, ATM, and giveaways/piggy banks are neat features that make the currency feel more immersive. Subeta and other games may have similar features.

I feel that in-game currencies can be improved by giving them multiple purposes - shopping, saving, investing, donating, etc.

Also, I don’t want to pick on Santae in this regard - I’m intrigued to see what they do. For example, on their upcoming features page, they plan on introducing “money jars” with timed openings and their bank interest will be a special currency. This special currency will be tied to obtaining bank-exclusive items like a “gold” pet color.

 

[WontByte]

As far as my game went, I introduced a banking system. This is because you could "steal" a certain amount of currency from another player if you won the bout. In order to protect the main cash a player is saving for a new item, they could deposit it into the bank instead of having it on hand.

However, do you think this is a good or bad feature? Does it help maintain the flow of points in the game, or does it create an unbalanced economy when users benefit from high interest rates?

But, this is a serious concern to address too. You need to have a fundamental knowledge of markets as this can be harmful and create inequity too fast for new users if it grows out of control.

You need to constantly evaluate and adjust currencies from other triggered events, such as finding some loot on a map, to a greater number so that players can collect quicker, look at how much in-game items cost, and readjust pricing when the currency gets "out of control" (i.e., making items that those older players that saved up a ton more expensive) with interest, or even look into some sort of "taxation" system to pull that earned interest out of circulation.

Game currency is nothing more than real currency, just used on the platform. There is a lot of information out there that can help you understand markets to make a fair economy for all players.

Another idea would be to implement a lotto so that the pooled currency of a lotto vanishes (i.e., 1 ticket = 1 coin and 1000 players put in for 10 tickets = 10,000 coins, but the prize is 7,500 to the winner). Or, other areas where currency is valuable, such as skins that don't really effect how good a player might be, but makes them stand out, so it gives them some value to use the currency to get rid of it without necessarily reducing the perceived value of the currency.

I also added "send" currency to players and there was a transaction fee to do so, something I picked up from PayPal, that just made sense. The transaction fee would also remove currency and balance things out too.