The Gamification of Investing Has Life and Death Consequences
“There’s an active shooter in our building…”
“Someone just shot up the day-trading firm downstairs. There are bodies everywhere. I walked right up to it.”
I stare blankly at my father, unable to process the words he’s just said. He’s pale, his eyes glassy. I don’t realize it, but he’s in shock. As anyone would be who’d just stumbled upon a mass shooting.
It’s mid-afternoon on July 29, 1999. A few minutes earlier, Dad and I had been heading into a meeting in our office on the fourth floor of Piedmont Center, a mid-rise office building in the Buckhead business district of Atlanta. We’re partners in our small investment management firm, about to meet with some potential new clients, a nice couple heading into retirement. And then all hell broke loose.
Sirens began howling from every direction, growing louder and louder. Within seconds, dozens of police cars screeched to a halt on the busy street in front of our building. One after another, cops burst from their vehicles, drew their guns, and ran into the office building across the street.
We all went to the window, staring at the pandemonium below us, unsure what to make of it. A few minutes later, the army of cops came flying back out of the building across the…
