And How Will You Be Paying, Sir? Quiz

Answer: Simoleons

Simoleons happen to be an apt slang term for money in the real world and they make their appearance in several of the games in the popular Maxis simulation series. Whether you're creating a city infrastructure in "SimCity" or purchasing houses or furniture in "The Sims", Simoleons can be earned or lost quite easily if you don't get a grip on the 'reality' of it all.

In "The Sims", even the tiniest things can cost money and maintaining a good job can be very important for players and their near-helpless avatars. Of course, if you wanted to simply fall into money, I hear 'rosebud' is always a clever option. ;)

Answer: Bananas

Since the early days of "Donkey Kong" platforming, Bananas have played important roles throughout. Whether you collect them for extra lives or recover missing stashes of bananas on Kong Island, those primates seem to love them. Some games in the series make use of similar collectibles.

For example, "Donkey Kong Country 2" (on the SNES) introduces Kremcoins. Fifteen of this form of currency opens secret levels around the map. Bananas continue to appear in spin-offs of the original Rare series including "Diddy Kong Racing" where bananas can permanently raise the speed of your kart on any given track.

Answer: Rupees

Important to the economy of Hyrule and other lands, the Rupee can be seen in games all through the "Legend of Zelda" series beginning with the meager Green Rupee and advancing through a spectrum of colours. In "Ocarina of Time" in particular, Link can purchase bombs, potions, shields, and other items important to his lengthy quest with the Rupees he finds in tall grass, dropped from enemies, or in chests along his path.

Although other games in the series (such as "The Minish Cap" with Kinstones and "Oracle of Seasons" with Iron Ore) introduce other temporary forms of currency into the mix for purchasing items or unlocking hidden secrets, none have survived as long as the almighty Rupee.

Answer: Musical Notes

In the first game in the series, "Banjo-Kazooie", the duo could locate a maximum of nine hundred notes throughout the game with which they could open a series of doors throughout the evil witch Gruntilda's extensive lair. Towards the end of the game, this amount would rise to unlock special bonuses (like double health) which could be used to the player's advantage in fighting the final boss herself at the top of the fortress.

In "Banjo-Tooie", both Banjo and Kazooie (together and as individuals) could visit Jamjars in the game's various levels to learn new moves necessary for beating the game.

In addition, a larger note known as the 'Treble Clef' could be found to add twenty notes to Banjo's total.

Answer: Gil

Named after Gilbart from "Final Fantasy IV", Gil has been a staple in the series for decades and while it's not typically seen in its physical form it is necessary for making transactions in this world-famous RPG series. Gil, like Rupees in the "Legend of Zelda" series, can drop off enemies, be found in chests, or be earned through specific tasks in the game.

In some games in the series, players can toss money at foes to inflict damage or use money to bribe their way out of battles. Strategy comes at a cost it seems.

Answer: Caps

As the game is set in a world destroyed by nuclear war, "Fallout 3" utilizes a fairly primitive currency system: bottle caps (typically just called 'caps' in-game). Much like in Bethesda's "Elder Scrolls" series, players in "Fallout 3's" western-RPG expanses can find caps in pretty much anything from enemy corpses to the picked pockets of strangers to desk drawers, chests, and burlap sacks. Caps can be used to purchase items from the last vestiges of humankind throughout the land...or a drink of Nuka-Cola, the drink of choice.

Answer: Rings

Since the dawn of the "Sonic" series on the Sega Genesis in the early 1990s, "Sonic the Hedgehog" games have prominently featured rings in gameplay. The more of these collected, the more points Sonic and friends would receive upon finishing the level.

The rings also acted as a buffer. If hit, Sonic would only be killed if he had no rings in his possession. Getting hit, however, would cause him to drop all previously collected rings. In later games, these could be used as currency to purchase upgrades though, like bananas in "Donkey Kong", they are typically used for scoring and lives in a platform setting.

Answer: Vespene Gas

In the original "Starcraft" and "Starcraft II", players can harvest Vespene Gas if their units build some sort of extraction structure around a Vespene Geyser to collect and receive units of this special substance. If mined too much, the geyser will deplete and while still usable it will only output a certain, smaller amount of units. Similarly, minerals (the chief substance of currency in the game) can disappear entirely if mined completely. Both Minerals and Vespene Gas are used to build structures and units and research their upgrades. Notably, the game usually has a way of stating "You require more Vespene Gas" if you happen to be running low. Tiberium is a similarly poisonous substance from the "Command and Conquer" series.

Answer: Coins

Coins have been a very important item in the "Mario" series since "Super Mario Bros." on the NES. One hundred coins will typically give Mario a 1-up in any one of his platformers. Later games gave new depth to the coin system. "Super Mario World", for instance, had Yoshi Coins while "Six Golden Coins" on the Game Boy was a title framed entirely around this aspect of the Mario Universe.

While other forms of currency can be used in later titles from Stars to Star Bits (look at the range!), Coins will always be as important as Mushrooms, Peach, Bowser, and Luigi in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Answer: Gold farming

Gold farming applies to players who are hired outside the confines of the game to harvest gold for purchase. For example, sites have claimed to sell a thousand gold for as low as five bucks in real life. Blizzard cracked down on this and shut thousands of Chinese gold farmers out of jobs in the years after their introduction. Nonetheless, the "World of Warcraft" economy is a fairly resilient one. Large-scale auction systems, millions upon millions of players, and endless opportunities have created one of the largest in-game economies in gaming history. On top of monthly fees, Blizzard also has purchasable cosmetic upgrades for those seeking them from luxury mounts to class, character, name, and gender changes.

It's a mad, mad, mad, mad "World of Warcraft". ;)