Photo credit: https://boardgamegeek.com

I probably played Jate 100+ times with my friends as a kid. Even at the time, I knew the market did not behave the way it did in Jate, or any other stock market game that I played.

All of the common board games that I have run into on the stock market are unrealistic. The stock market does not work the way the board games say that it works.

Nonetheless, I think that board games, and other games that involve money, are useful for children. Why? Because they encourage kids to think in terms of budgets (money is limited), and in terms of using money to gain returns.

Business is a large part of life, and it is difficult to get children to appreciate what goes on there. Business games, though not realistic, promote curiosity regarding business and investing. Nothing is ever as easy in business or investing as in a game, but nonetheless the concepts of budgeting, compounding, and diversification (or lack thereof) appear.

I am not endorsing any particular game. My view is that games that involve money as a major aspect of the game are good for children, as it teaches them about goals, investing, and limits.