Money in videogames-- Where does it come from?

Anyway, the phenomenon is obviously older than that -- how did all those D&D monsters end up with so much copper?

"Oh, you's a flying severed Medusa head? How's that going? Here's your five coins for the week."

Carry on.

All right, but where are the chests coming from? Why is the treasure scattered throughout many points in various locations rather than massed in a secure central area? And why were they left in plain sight?

And for that matter, who supplies Mario's mushrooms and flowers and stars? Are they harvested or manufactured? Why are they given freely when their spectacular effects would likely demand a high market value? Who installs them in dangerous and precarious locations? And if these mysterious benefactors are trying to help Mario and they're already able to get into Bowser's Castle and stick item boxes everywhere, why don't they just plant a bomb a blow the whole fucking place up?

I WANT ANSWERS PEOPLE

frogs, slimes, turtles, koopa troopas--they're working stiffs like you and me. so show some respect.

I think invented backstory can only enrich the gaming experience. Personally I'm adopting Slocki's boss theory.

(b) Local villagers have put mystical reward money on the heads of local monsters. Upon killing any such enemy, the bounty price is magically transferred into the character's purse or general area.

(c) Monsters are not actually monsters, but rather magical enchantments created using objects. When the moster is defeated, the enchantment is broken. Hence the countless games in which the monster can be observed to actually vanish, replaced by a valuable object, such as a coin, bundle of arrows, or life-giving heart. The objects are valuable in direct proportion to the fearsomeness of the monster, which would explain why valuable objects are used -- to create more fearsome monsters.

(d) Slimes (and other such non-humanoid creatures) should have no use for money. But consider what happens when a slime drips around through a booty-strewn dungeon all day. Coins are picked up within its sliminess. Other non-humanoid creatures may pick up money for other reasons, such as the fact that it is shiny.

(e) The "money" may actually represent the total monetary value of all findings on the dead creature. For instance, if you kill a saber-toothed tiger, the money you receive does not represent money found in the tiger's possession. It represents the money you would receive by selling the tiger's teeth, pelt, and penis to jewelers, furriers, and medicine men. The game abstracts this process for you to save time.