It’s not everyone’s cup of tea to jump directly in the water and start trading stocks with real money. For some people, trading can prove to be very overwhelming while to others it may seem like something very normal. But, diving into the stock market as someone who is uninitiated and to think that you’ll make millions seems like living in the fool’s paradise.
To lower the risk of losing all of your hard-earned cash, you can either take some guidance from someone who is experienced (and good) at trading or learn it yourself using virtual stock trading games.
Say what? Virtual stock trading, also referred as paper trading is a simulated trading process for beginners to practice investing without having to commit any real currency. There are platforms such as stock market stimulators and virtual stock trading games that endeavor to create a replica of real stock market by duplicating some or all of its features.
These stimulators manipulate virtual money and investment positions so that it behaves analogous to real stock market. There was a time when online trading was not so ubiquitous, due to which virtual stock trading was considered really difficult by the majority of new investors. But, now that most of the calculations rely on computers, would-be investors can try and practice trading on simulators before committing financially for real.
A lot of investors also use such virtual platforms to test new investment strategies before practicing them for real.
Financial Simulators
This type of simulators permits users to create their portfolio based on real stock entries to train them while using virtual money. Usually, such simulators use a data feed that is delayed by 15 to 20 minutes so as to make sure that investors are not using the data to trade actively on another system. The aim of such simulator is to allow users to risk virtual currency to get a real time idea so that they can determine if they would make a profit when investing for real.
Fantasy Simulators
This type of simulators trade shares or derivatives of real world objects or items that are not usually listed on market exchange or commodities list. The objects may include movies or TV shows or even sports. The ones that are linked to sports are also involved in betting and gamble based systems.
There are various stock market games that can make you knowledgeable about trading and can make it fun at the same time. These games are available in different versions, but the basic idea behind this concept is to allow users to trade in the virtual stock market using virtual currencies. Players can compete with each other and predict the future of stock market and win if their prediction about the direction of the stock market is right. A lot of virtual stock trading games are based on real stocks from Nasdaq, AMEX, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, NYSE and other major market indexes.
Strategies such as short-selling, leverage, forex and derivatives trading can be tested on virtual stock market as they require a high level of expertise and technical knowledge. Using such techniques, new investors can reduce the amount of risk that comes along when you are a beginner.
Basically, simulators can be categorized into two types, i.e., Financial Simulator and Fantasy Simulator.
Such games are also referred as stock trading games, stock market games, trading games, online trading games, stock games, virtual stock games, stock simulations, and stock exchange games.
Stock trading games are usually used for educational purposes to teach how to trade stocks to potential stock traders and future stock brokers. Some of the virtual trading games also engage in fantasy trading for entertainment purpose.
Here are some virtual trade games that offer a similar platform to its users:
Stockfuse
Stockfuse is for everyone, whether you are a student or a corporate employee, it will help you hone your trading skills using its virtual trading platform. It allows you to compete with your friends and follow other traders on the platform. It not only provides a visual timeline for historical trades, it also provides Regulation T-compliant margin accounts for stock & futures trading.
Wall Street Survivor
Wall Street Survivor permits the user to take the driver’s seat and take control of your own fantasy stock portfolio. At the same time, you can also compete against your friends and strangers.
It offers a set of jargon-free courses along with a stock trading simulator to help you learn and practice trading stocks without taking any financial risk.
Wall Street Survivor will give knowledge and experience so that you can take charge of your finance. It will not only provide you a platform to hone your skills, it will also offer some intellectual investment courses so that you can actively take control of your savings plan, your retirement investments, your 401(k) plans, and your mutual fund investment.
HowTheMarketWorks
This site was intended for high school students so that they can have an idea about how the stock market works. They are provided with virtual cash of $100,000 so they can start practicing how to trade stocks online. These accounts are realistic, real-time and allow its users to practice trading U.S.
HowTheMarketWorks also features a list of educational articles, Quote of the Day, Word of the Day, and glossaries to make you more knowledgeable each time you visit the site. Users can also create their own contests and invite their friends or batch-mates to compete and learn with them.
Harvest Exchange
Harvest Exchange or HVST.com is a Twitter-inspired site on which investors and fund managers post their investment tips and ideas with the users. Users don’t need to contribute to the site by posting anything; they can simply lurk and learn from the content that is already posted on the site. It has adopted a Twitter-like feed and permits users to use various attachment formats.
MarketWatch
MarketWatch is a leading innovator in personal finance information, business news, real-time commentary, and investment data & tools. What helps the site to be at the top is dedicated journalists who are responsible for generating a lot of headlines, videos, stories and market briefs within a day from 10 bureaus in the Europe, Asia, and the United States.
In addition to the trading game, it also offers a subscription product for investors, ETF Trader, and Retirement Weekly. Not only that, the MarketWatch Radio network offers radio stations with updated market news after every half an hour.
Stock market games may or may not be based on financial markets, more often than not they are based on things like sports and entertainment stocks. Virtual trading games are entering the realm of the future as they are an amazing way to teach potential traders and future investors how to trade stocks without risking any real money. Not only can they learn from practicing, they can also gain some experience by interacting with other traders on such platforms.
In the upcoming days, the stock trading games won’t be just limited to providing a real-time trading experience, they would be made into a complete package, which might include Wall Street Analyst Ratings, Quotes, Trading Ideas, Videos, Lessons on trading & investment, Glossaries, Financial Calculators, and Company News and Financial Statements.