Business •
Buenos Aires Gamers Hedge Inflation With Tournament Tokens
By Syed John
Esports arenas now issue inflation-linked tokens redeemable for groceries.
Argentina's inflation problem birthed a quirky hedge: esports arenas mint tokens pegged to USD that gamers earn in tournaments. Winner gets cash; participants get grocery credits redeemable at partner markets. It's half loyalty program, half protest.
Parents encourage kids to compete because tournaments fund pantry staples. Sponsors love it because branding lives inside Twitch streams. Economists shrug because it's technically legal. Inflation turns everyone into financial engineers.
If policymakers won't stabilize currency, gamers will. I never thought I'd see League of Legends cure supermarket anxiety, yet here we are.