hard currency
1
5.5
- noun
- Jargon
:
moneda premium
- The developer introduced hard currency so that users can purchase unique items more easily.
Examples
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But the newcomer evangelists have their energy and hard currency. See Penzenskie Eparhialnie Novosti 11 (December 1993).
Academic text (1999) -
Similarly, while OpenFeint charged a revenue share for the use of OFX, GREE will also share in revenue for hard currency use.
Blog text (32) -
In the game, you can use hard currency to buy exclusive skins for your character.
-
Players often spend real money to acquire hard currency for quicker access to special levels.
Synonyms
1
9.3
Digital money used in games to buy items or unlock features
How Premium
- Jargon
1
5.5
58
5.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The gaming meaning — a premium, often purchasable in‑game currency — is not directly derivable from the literal senses 'hard' (firm/solid) + 'currency' (money). There is a partial, metaphorical link ("hard" as real/valuable/convertible vs in‑game "soft" currency) that could give some clue, but this technical/jargon use is not reliably predictable for an average B1 learner.
Etymology
In video games, hard currency is money players buy with 'real money' to get special items, because game makers borrowed the idea of real, valuable money. So in games 'hard currency' means paid or premium money that gives access to exclusive content.