From Stock Market To Board Game Design, And He Is Only 15 Years Old

If you go to enough board game and tabletop conventions, you will come across new creators with a demo version of their board game. They are there to showcase it and see if it can generate interest from attendees and publishers. It was no different at Gen Con 2019, but there was one story that stood out to me; a young man in his early teens who is not only plays the stock market but also made a board game based on his experience.

His name is Daron Kaloustian, and he is the creator of HIRE!, a board game currently looking to become published through Kickstarter. Below is a quick interview we did about himself and his game:

We think it’s amazing that someone your age is interested in business. Where did this interest come from?

When I was twelve, my parents didn’t want to give me any new presents that I didn’t need. So after consulting with them, they decided to open up a stock trading account through TD Ameritrade for me and put birthday/holiday money that would previously buy gifts into that account. I started investing in the real market and that is where I got this newfound love for the mechanics of business and finance. Business is mainly seen as mundane, but after I gained some experience investing, I realized that there are only a few parts that are monotonous and that the process beyond the numbers can be thrilling.

Many individuals have had difficulty understanding the stock market. Were there any hurdles for you in learning about the stock market? What are the biggest misconception people have about the stock market?

At first, I did feel a little nervous diving into a brand new world of buying, selling, ups, and downs. However as I started investing in stocks, I realized that there is a lot more energy spent in deciphering between the different stocks you can buy through researching the history of their backgrounds and in the market in general. Of course there are certain parts where you just need to get more experienced as you go along, but it’s definitely a much better place than I thought. I mean, did you really think twelve-year-old me was elated about jumping right into the market at first? No, but I gave it a chance, and am I glad I did! It is really an amazing place that’s about the different choices you have and how those choices can lead to great gains. People sometimes treat the market as if they are in math class. Of course, it’s good to know about numbers to grasp certain parts of the real market better. But that’s where my love for the actual mechanics beyond the numbers comes in again, and HIRE! is really just taking all those fun parts of the market, and combining it with some new awesome surprises that really make it unique and fun.

Where did the idea for this board game come from?

After I had started investing in the real market, I was very content with my new hobby. As previously stated, there were many fun parts about the stock market, but of course, I knew that not everyone would be interested in the numbers portion and would not give it a try. That’s why I decided to start thinking creatively, the way I always do when I see something I like. I thought that in order to get people, such as my friends, interested in something like this, I need to take the numbers part of it, and discard as much of it as I possibly can to fill it up with something even more interesting. Once I was twelve going on thirteen, I finished making the first hand-drawn prototype of HIRE! and was very happy with it.

Was it difficult to translate what you learned about the business world into a board game? How so?

It was not very hard at all. It was the most fun part about my experience with the market. Investing in stocks is great, but I feel that I have always tried to find the fun, gaming side of everything in life, which to me is special. Although I had to change up a few things about the numbers side of the market mechanics, it was an overall fun experience, thinking “oh, that’ll be cool when people play the game” as I went along. Of course, there were a few parts of the process that were challenging at times; a lot of those times were when the answer wasn’t too obvious. But after play testing, I was able to turn it into the game it is today, which I love.

As someone who hates Monopoly and other similar board games, what can you tell me about HIRE! that would change my mind? 

Unlike Monopoly, everyone plays until the very end (no one gets out early on and has to sit and watch their friends play) and most players will have a chance at winning until the very end. Like Monopoly, it is a numbers game. But because the app does the calculations for you, if you are not a numbers person, you can focus more on the strategy and not on the numbers at all. In fact, a lot of our Gen Con playtesters said they don’t typically like numbers games, but they did like HIRE! and said they would definitely play it again.

Do you feel this game will be a great addition to schools and libraries? Why?

Absolutely, because if you watch the calculations the app makes, it will teach you a few things about math in general. But more importantly, it will teach you the basics of the stock market, and the concept that the longer you play (or the earlier you invest in the stock market) the better your chances of coming out ahead.

What do your parents, friends and teachers think about your interest in business and this board game?

Parents and teachers absolutely love it, but friends also thought it was really cool, which I was so glad to hear. At first, I was nervous about presenting it to the world, especially my friends. However, after showing them, I was especially happy not only because I got approval from many different groups of people, but because I started to realize that getting people interested in the fun aspects of the market is working.

What is next for you? What are your goals?

Right now, we are just focusing on getting the HIRE! Kickstarter campaign to reach its goal of $12,000 so we can manufacture and ship out the first bulk order of the game. Once the actual games are available in summer of 2020, we will be focusing on making HIRE! a household name! That means getting as many people and organizations to recognize and enjoy HIRE! Besides that, there isn’t too much of anything else I’m currently focused on. I just want to see where I can go with HIRE!