A Lifer's Diary, Part 6: Examples of Playstyles

 A Lifer's Diary, Part 6: Examples of Playstyles

Having played the Game of Life for well over two decades, I have realized that players tend to fall into one or more different playstyles, which are reflected in the way they approach the game. With this in mind, I have coined terms for some of the more prominent playstyles, four of which are described below.

• Money Grubber: This is characterized by using a high-paying salary (or, from Generation III onwards, a career which has such a salary) to maximize the amount of cash that can be earned by passing or landing on Pay Day spaces, while also aiming to collect as much additional money from Collect Spaces (or, from Generations IV and V, Action Cards that reward money instead of taking it away) along the way. However, it is less effective when used with less lucrative salaries.
• Family Man/Woman: Players with this strategy prefer to have as many children as they can over the course of the game. This yields more children's gifts at the end of the game, allows them to earn more Life Tiles, or both, depending on the version of the game being played. However, in some versions, it runs the risk of having to pay more money if you land on certain spaces.
• Lucky Investor: Using this playstyle requires a lot of foresight, since it requires buying a Stock/Long-Term Investment early on, and ensuring that its number is spun often enough throughout the game to make its purchase worthwhile. This can also happen in Generation V if a player chooses the right number when landing on an Invest space for the first time, and also in Generation IV with its Careers' built-in Lucky Numbers.
• Slow Burner: A less salary-dependent strategy than the Money Grubber, relying heavily on accumulating large numbers of Life Tiles/Action Cards in general and maximizing resale value for any Houses owned to make up for any shortages of cash on hand at the time of retirement. At the end of the game, the cash value of these items will be added to the player's net worth, potentially taking them ahead of at least one opponent in the process.

The ideal strategy should combine elements of all (or at least most) of those playstyles, although it is possible, though more difficult, to win with a strategy that uses no more than one of them. But no matter what strategy and playstyle you choose when playing the Game of Life, be sure to have fun!