Antithesis of Consumerism
LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga
After the dawn of the industrial revolution, gradually society’s welfare and spending power rose. More factories, more jobs, more workers, and more products. That basic economic-shambalaya transcended to more online shopping through 12.12, get more oversized t-shirts easier using Cash-On-Demand, order five burgers at midnight discounts on Grabfood, collect triple-bundled running socks using time-limited coupons, and hoard more action figures through competitive and zealous auctions.
Putting aside the capitalistic and meaninglessness of modernity discourse, this phenomenon was deeply engrained into video games especially in the early 2000s, which is currently a cult classic videogame then henceforth as a model for its existing offspring.
Enter LEGO video games. Fueled from our childhood nostalgia and transformed popular franchises into a playable Denmark-plastic innovation such as LEGO Star Wars and LEGO Marvel franchises and more.
Their model was rather simplistically ingenious. Mirroring the games like the original story of the movies, add comical shenanigans, light puzzles, iconic characters, vehicles and set pieces, and simple gameplay (for children’s sakes) then as a cherry on top; add DLCs for more of these experiences. This model is arguably an immortal and unarguably profitable game model.
Some find this silly video game as an intro to video game and video game mechanics but personally, I think it teaches a realistic road map on spending, almost as if like an antithesis of the consumerist lifestyle as they show in-game reward as well as consequences when we opt-in into consumerist choices.
Mo Money Mo Problem and Materialistic Punishments
The marketing of LEGO video games is about re-experiencing your favorite movie in the LEGO-spyglasses. There is availability and the choice to play a whole list of characters, ranging from A to the C list category as well as memorable vehicles like the Batmobile and The Millenium Falcon. Although choices and availability for experience are cool and all in the eyes of the free world, the actual access was blocked with a paywall from their in-game currency called STUDS; The LEGO multicolor coin-shaped sums of money. Which naturally would make players (mostly kids) spend time and effort to grind for more money.
Based on my own calculation it takes a children-maddening number of approximately 37.500.000 STUDS to complete the game and owning every character, extras, and vehicles. This number is a lot and almost unattainable at a younger age.
The first problem is the game doesn't tell you how you can make money strategically thus players spend time replaying levels until they save up enough to buy General Grevious, as an example. Then comes the second problem where people use the hard-earned money to spend immediately with pure lust, no calculations whatsoever.
The third problem is because money is scarce, players need to repeat the arduous “grinding cycle” until they get tired and bored at the game.
The issue with General Grevious and other memorable characters they are cool. We bought it in-hopes it is empirically cool and it’s worthy to be bought at the price. Sadly, there are other characters that hold the same value and utility and make the grind and the price point, felt unworthy to purchase.
Ironically, not only does the game mirror a certain franchise, LEGO games echo the bleak modern capitalism. There is a range of products and services that you can buy in the market, but with this freedom, it means there is no limitation and moreover there is no correct road map.
People use their hard-earned paychecks only by being sucked into the lustful pull and forced to repeat the same cycle of getting money and spending money in hopes to find materialistic happiness. More choices don’t equal good results because, with the inexistence of road maps, like the LEGO game, people will be stuck in the loop of grinding and grinding — not knowing there is a better way to get stinking rich.
I have to say, I am not a minimalist devotee, but some of us spend too much on things that are not essential. The reason ranges from personal happiness or social relevance, which both scenarios could lead to major debt problems.
Gladly in the game’s economy, players can’t go into debt unlike the Covid-Smash hit; Animal Crossing: New Horizons.
Values, Strategic Spending, and Investments
After knowing your choices and having done lust management, people can see and play it out differently.
The values of characters aren't only about aesthetics and nostalgia but it’s also about utility and their versatility. Yes, buying Boba Fett is cool and might make you happy but keeping your money and using a free or less priced character with the same utility as Boba Fett is a cost-effective choice.
Therefore, spending STUDS has to be strategic too. Keeping your money for an extra’s called STUDs multiplayer is the way to go because it can self-explanatorily quadruple your money. Although the price of the STUD multiple-player is challenging to afford at first, I say it's a wonderful investment because it can mold players as LEGO millionaires.
And with money being such an important aspect in advancing and owning materialistic possessions in the game, being a millionaire is paramount because they can lustfully be happy as a consumerist–– they can buy every character, vehicle, and extras with reckless abandon and thus the enjoyment also quadruple. The cost of 37.500.000 STUDS means nothing when you’re a millionaire
As a kid in elementary school, my first playthrough at a LEGo was rough and was teemed with grinding. The developers might as well slap my instinctual urge to spend as soon as I have money. But my second playthrough, I did all of the above and made me LEGO-rich and LEGO-happy. Meaning understanding how things work really doesn't maximize enjoyment.
And control is basically fasting, and not everyone can or would do it. If people play video games for enjoyment, control is the best way forward. And because the economy is basically a study of people and choices, it means a real player with more choices in the real world economy, we have to stay in control and understand how the world works.
Coming from countless LEGO video games that I have played, getting rich and having more spending power is very comfortable. I’m still in the process of grinding and understanding the economy and how to efficiently be successful without doing any necessary arduous process like how the game teaches me.
But I also believe that video game players are trained in this area. Being taught at such a young age to spend or not to spend and the thought process in it makes gamers calculative spenders and self-made and self-proclaimed entrepreneurs.
Maybe on this day, 12.12 super-mega-stupendous-ludicrous-end-of-the-year-go-back-to-school-Christmas-humongous-ultra sale, you may want to save your money for something more worthwhile in the future or spend wisely, and hold control over your wallet.
