During last week’s killing spree where we witnessed a handful of crews hit the dirt and another handful rise from it, the death of a Nation Don and the birth of another one, we also saw an interesting, although not uncommon side effect appear within the fragile ecosystem that is Bootleggers. This phenomenon, and the shootings, lasted for about as long and they peaked simultaneously. However while the shootings could be best viewed from the graveyard, where mountains of dirt were piling up and a forest of showels was blowing in the wind coming from the storm on the stat’s page, this side effect of the shootings could be best viewed from Marketplace page of the Gold section.
When the killing spree started I was in a crew destined for doom but luckily I had almost all of my wealth (although not a fortune) bound up in gold. As bullets began to fly through the air, gold prices also began to fly through the rooftops. And as the shooters put their guns on automatic the survival instinct of their rivals and potential targets kicked in and players did whatever they could to save as much of their assets as possible. And the best way to save your bucks from going in the casket with you is of course buying gold, the magical metal which is eternal and follows you through the grave and into the next life.
In a matter of minutes gold prices went from about 22,000$ per piece to around 30,000$ per piece. People wanted to buy, buy, buy before it was too late and demand became much bigger than supply. I myself was so lucky to have almost all my bucks bound in gold and because I was shot early on in the killing spree, I could sell it all at the rate of 31,000$ per piece to players on the other side, who were still waiting to be killed and didn’t have the economical luxuries of the afterlife like me. But as the sound of gunshots faited out and the graveyard filled up, the process started to reverse itself. Players who had been eager to buy gold before their death were now hoping to sell it in order to start ranking, banking, and probably shopping for bullet’s, as soon as possible. The prices fell just as fast as they had risen and before I knew, I had bought my gold back and even more for the same money I had made selling it not 30 minutes ago, now at the rate of 19,000 $ per piece. So just by dying and utilizing the market effects of the killing spree, my tiny treasury had grown by a remarkable 47%, showing how significant the effect of the general gameplay has on the economy and how the butterfly effect rules the game on so many levels. I’m pretty sure when FredBurke and his buddies picked up their guns one afternoon and headed out to spill blood, they had no idea that they would simultaneously be spilling gold into my pockets.
In conclusion. The next time you see a killing spree unfold, look at the gold page, not the graveyard. And maybe you should stop the “get rich or die trying” scheme, it can be a lot easier to just do both at the same time.
