Getting Started
Last updated August 13, 2007
Playing the simExchange is easy, fun, and free. There is nothing to download or install. All you need is an Internet browser that supports JavaScript and 1024x768 resolution or higher. The first step is to join by setting up an account. Your account will be funded with 1 million DKP.
What is DKP?
DKP is the common currency among players in Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO) games like World of Warcraft and Everquest, earned for performance and used for bidding on items. It is also the name of the currency on the simExchange. DKP is a completely virtual currency and is not backed by real money. On the simExchange, 1 DKP of stock price corresponds to 10,000 copies sold worldwide over lifetime for a game.
Stocks
Stocks on the simExchange represent the lifetime global sales of a game or console. 1 DKP of stock price represent 10,000 units sales. For example, if a game's stock is trading at 100 DKP, this means the market is forecasting the game will sell 1 million copies globally over its lifetime. If you think the game will sell 2 million copies, then you should be willing to buy the game's stock anywhere below 200 DKP.
For the most part, stocks on the simExchange trade like stocks in the real stock market. Stocks continue to trade and do not expire at any point. For more information, read Stock Theory.
Futures
Futures contracts on the simExchange trade much like stocks, but they expire on a certain date and pay out DKP. Futures on the simExchange do not trade like futures in the real futures market--you buy and sell them just like stocks, rather than just posting margin. Futures forecast the unit sales of a console or game that a market research firm like the NPD Group will report. Once the report is available, the futures contract will expire (cease to exist) and you will be paid based on the actual figures reported by the NPD Group.
For example, if a game's January futures contract is currently trading at 10 DKP, it means the market is forecasting the game will sell 100,000 copies in January. If you think the game will sell more than 100,000 copies, you should buy the future. The reason for this is if the game ends up selling 120,000 copies, the futures contract will expire at 12 DKP, meaning you will earn 2 DKP for each contract you bought.
Trading
Once your account is funded, you can start trading. Simply check out games on the simExchange and buy or sell the stocks and futures you want by placing orders in the Order Book on the right side of the screen. The Order Book looks like this:
You can see the current prices and number of shares being offered on the market for you to buy and sell. The Notification box will tell you how much the purchase will cost or the proceeds you would receive if you sold.
All you have to do is enter the number of shares you want and then click on the Buy or Sell button. A message will then appear reporting the status of your order. When using this order form, your order will always fill immediately. You should receive a message like this.
You can also submit orders to buy or sell at a certain price. To do this, you must enable Advanced Trading here. You can learn more about it in the Advanced Trading Tutorial.
Next, you can see all the stocks you've bought on the Portfolio page. You can reach this page by clicking the Account tab. From here you can also see how much DKP you have amassed and your rank among all other players. You can also see a complete record of your trades on the Transaction History page.
Keep buying stocks for undervalued games and selling stocks of overvalued games to earn more DKP! Remember to maintain a diverse portfolio -- you don't want all your eggs in one basket and it's also difficult to close a position at a good price if it is too large. You can easily track a number of stocks using your Watch List. Learn more from the Watch List tutorial.
Short selling
Short selling is an important part of trading. Basically, it is selling stock you do not own. On the simExchange it is what to do if you think a forecast is too high (a stock is overvalued). In the real world, you are borrowing shares and selling them with the hope of buying them back at a lower price to return. Sell high, buy low. To short sell on the simExchange, just sell stock as you would if you owned shares.
Earning additional DKP
Time Trust: Your time trust is a small reserve that can be used to buy stock. Every 15 minutes, your account's time trust will gain 250 DKP. However, your time trust is capped at 25,000 DKP so you either use it or lose it. If you have DKP in your time trust, your stock purchases will draw down from the time trust before your cash reserve.
Submitting Content: Submitting content is a great way to get more DKP. You get a flat fee for submitting content, and then more DKP if people bid up your content. Learn how to submit content by checking out the Submit Articles, Submit Images, Submit Videos Tutorials. Learn more on the Rules page.
Bidding on Content: Bidding on content and comments is another way you can earn DKP. Each person who bids the same way you do on an article, image, video, comment, or unlisted game will earn you DKP. Learn more about bidding on content by reading the Bids on Content tutorial. Find out the current rates on the Rules page.
Refer people: You can also earn DKP by referring your friends and random people around the Internet to join the simExchange. Refer your friends by using the Refer a friend form. You can also use the general, reusable referral link found in blue boxes at the top of many pages on the simExchange or from the Tools for Bloggers page.
Compete against your friends
You can compete directly against your friends by inviting them to your simExchange friend list and checking your rankings in Your League. Learn how to invite friends by reading the Making Friends tutorial.
You can also check how you stack up against the world by checking the simExchange 500 for the top players by net worth and the Community Top 50 for the top players by community ratings.
You are ready to play the simExchange! Go to your portfolio >
