10 Incredibly Cheap Video Game Moves (That You Totally Used All The Time)

There's a bit of a philosophical divide over what exactly the purpose is in life simulation games such as Stardew Valley, Animal Crossing and, perhaps the purest example of the genre, The Sims. For many, a lack of a clearly defined objective is the point; the joy comes from simply living out an artificial life, and all the incumbent ups and downs that brings with it.

Others take a more Randian approach, tricking the system to maximise personal profits and plunder. You could argue that leaving the capitalist grind in Stardew Valley to enter another one based on efficiently generating as much cash as possible is an ironic misunderstanding of the premise, but gamers are gonna game.

It's for this reason that, rather than simply enjoy the whimsy of it all, laser-focused players of the original Sims worked out a devilish little scheme designed to generate as much cash as possible. A Sim with perfect mechanical skill crafting garden gnomes from dusk till dawn could expect to rake in a cool $2000 every day - significantly more than even the game's highest-paid professions. Turns out little computer people making even littler computer people is the fastest route to riches - but does it make them happy? According to their little sliders, the answer's no. Important lesson, kids.