I love the game, and enjoy the strategies involved. These kind of games will always be "worth playing" if you are having fun, but just like any game prices move and the economy will be based around efficiency of earnings per time spent. The real gains come from trading and predicting how changes will effect the items. I don't know if holding Splinterlnads assets will ever be a "better investment" than just dumping the stuff into HBD savings, but it should always be more fun.