A live-in simulation that lets you be stupidly rich, for a while (eg, a month), 'win' an incredible fortune, spend what you like, do what you like with the money, watch how the ramifications pan out. At the end of the simulation period, you return to your ordinary life, but with the additional knowledge of how you'd react to being vastly wealthy.

The exact mechanism for creating and supplying whatever the player decides to spend their money on is undecided. Probably involves plasticene, mirrors and an address book with places you can rent things from in a hurry.

This might work as a sort of prize for something or other. Or maybe not.
-- Ian Tindale, Feb 16 2006

Ludicrously expensive online store Ludicrously_20expensive_20online_20store
You'd be able to shop here [hippo, Feb 16 2006]

Brewster's Millions http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088850/
[Shz, Feb 16 2006]

How rich are you? http://www.globalrichlist.com/
Absurdly rich is a relative concept [ConsulFlaminicus, Feb 16 2006]

Do you mean "stupidly rich" in the David Beckham sense (low IQ but wealthy), or "stupidly rich" in the Bill Gates sense (more money than you could spend in a hundred lifetimes)?
-- coprocephalous, Feb 16 2006


...or moronically rich, in the Michael Carroll sense?
-- hippo, Feb 16 2006


Well, the Michael Jackson sense (during the height of the pile), but I really can't see how to cater for the demands of "build me a Neverland, now!". Unless we have access to a veritable bastardload of cardboard?

You're right - needed a name edit. Sorry.
-- Ian Tindale, Feb 16 2006


//the Michael Jackson sense//

//At the end of the simulation period, you return to your ordinary life//

Some how, I feel it might cost you twice as much as to correct all that plastic surgery.Besides that monkey might start pining after you.
-- skinflaps, Feb 16 2006


The Montgomery Brewster sense, methinks.
-- Shz, Feb 16 2006


This sounds like my long-defunct "Rent A Life" idea.

But nowadays, this is widely available, in the form of luxury holidays. One of the cruise lines is currently advertising along just these lines. You just have to go into hock to afford it.
-- DrCurry, Feb 16 2006


You can do this for a limited amount of time by applying for lots and lots of credit cards, and then using them mercilessly until you are either collected by the authorities and told off rather sternly, see the error of your ways and try to figure out a way of giving it all back, or simply purchase a ticket to Rio, Tibet, Las Vegas or Mongolia for one of a number of 'retirement' scenarios.
-- zen_tom, Feb 16 2006


"The good news, [reensure], is that for now you are fantastically rich!"
"The bad news ... your house is surrounded by estate planners, you'll be in days of appointments."
-- reensure, Feb 16 2006


This reminds me of an idea I was working on for decoy shoppers. The two could be combined, maybe? My idea was to manage a bus load of people who blow into town for a day and shop like there’s no tomorrow, which for them there wouldn’t be. They would have to give everything they purchase back at the end of the day (except what food they manage to consume), but with rewards for their efforts, based on some witty formula. After all the prep work is done, the decoys would be given credit cards and dropped off at a participating car dealership, with a limited time, to spend and entice other people to shop. I’d like to see the eyeballs on some of those sales people who don‘t know what‘s going on.
-- oyea6, Feb 16 2006


Agreed: decoy shoppers sounds like an excellent idea. They don't even need to actually buy things, just give them large shopping bags full of empty boxes to bustle around the rest of the mall with.
-- DrCurry, Feb 16 2006


//It would be perfect therapy for shopaholics at the same time.// Excellent therapy. You could also send alcoholics down to the off licence for a bottle of brandy, and then ask them to take it back in the evening.

Back on topic: I'd be fascinated to know if I could cope with silly money but I'll probably never find out. Bun for the idea, despite the obvious flaw that you will react differently to a simulation than to the real thing.
-- wagster, Feb 16 2006


The entire eyeball? Shirly, you could do with just the front of the eye.
-- daseva, Feb 16 2006


Who knows the mind of a shopaholic...?
-- wagster, Feb 17 2006



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