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Currency is not just the score, it allows for trades and a certain consensus to be achieved (absolute valuation of goods and services, i.e. total order of prefe

Currency is not just the score, it allows for trades and a certain consensus to be achieved (absolute valuation of goods and services, i.e. total order of preference) that can't be achieved through simple peer to peer trading based on personal preference. Not to mention the inconvenience/logistical inefficiency of having to have a good that interests the seller of your desire, or finding a trading chain. I guess you could create a virtual trading chain that automatically resolves those conflicts (if I recall correctly that's more or less the idea of Ripple), but if the chain fails in the middle the transaction is compromised, and you now depend on a high level of network activity for a viable chain to allow you to trade.

nostrademons 11y ago
That's the function of scorekeeping in a game. Notice that games with no victory conditions or victory condition that are only apparent toward the end of the game (like Tic-tac-toe, or Chess, or Go) tend to lack trading mechanics. Instead, optimal strategy in them tends to mimic warfare, where you outflank your opponent and force them into a losing position. Games where there's a running score (like Poker or other betting games, or Bohnanza [1], or Chinatown [2], or even Settlers of Catan) tend to evolve very trading-directed, market-oriented strategies whenever the game rules allow for trades. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohnanza https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohnanza [2] http://www.amazon.com/Z-Man-Games-71220-Chinatown-Board/dp/B00IVF4ZH0 http://www.amazon.com/Z-Man-Games-71220-Chinatown-Board/dp/B...