7 Video Game Currencies Stronger Than the U.S. Dollar

RUPEE (The Legend of Zelda)
Worth: $3 (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 rupees = magical shield. Crappy shield on eBay = $300
What It Means: U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke could learn a couple of things from Hyrule's math whizzes, who have kept the region's inflation rate at an astounding 0.00 percent for over 20 years.

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GTA DOLLAR (Grand Theft Auto III)
Worth: $25 (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 GTA dollars = Colt .45 Pistol (M1911 A1). Custom model 1911 A1 pistol made by the Springfield Armory = $2,500
What It Means: If you do find a handgun for a hundred bucks in the real world, you'll probably have to call Nerf for more ammo.

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COIN (Super Mario Bros.)
Worth: $37,000 (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 coins = 1 life. Human life = $3.7 million, according to the Environmental Protection Agency
What It Means: What can we say? Girls dig guys with large coin boxes.

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GOLD RING (Sonic the Hedgehog)
Worth: $103,000 (U.S.)
Methodology: 50 gold rings = A bonus-level shot at a chaos emerald as big as your head. The largest emerald ever found was 86,136 carats, valued at over $5.2 million. In today's market, 50 real gold rings, or about $10,000 worth of gold, will net you a 3.9-carat emerald.
What It Means: On a side note, give one gold ring to your girlfriend and you unlock the bonus stage where everything you do leads to your life being over.

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SIM DOLLAR (SimCity)
Worth: $611,000 (U.S.)
Methodology: 1,000 Sim dollars = baseball stadium. The new Washington Nationals stadium = $611 million
What It Means: Think the government is the only waste in D.C.? Each Nationals win in 2007 cost $13.70 in SimCity money, $8.4 million in today's economy.

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MINERAL (StarCraft)
Worth: $25 million (U.S.)
Methodology: 100 minerals = Terran Vespene gas refinery. A gas refinery in Arizona = $2.5 billion
What It Means: At this point, you might as well make a three-button suit out of your worthless money and light yourself on fire.

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ADAM (BioShock)
Worth: Infinity
Methodology: 1 murdered Little Sister = 160 ADAM. 1 real murdered little sister = life in prison. You'll probably meet about 160 Adams there, too. Some may make you call them "Big Daddy."
What It Means: They use cigs as currency in the joint, so you're better off with smokes than you are with C-notes anyway.