Dual-Sphere Economy

The economy of the New Real evolved from dual-sphere economies of the developed Eastern world which came about in the early 21st century. The spheres of economics in question are Essentials and Luxuries.

Essentials
Essentials are paid for by volunteering your time, which earns you Hours. While you might not need food or a physician (body doctor), you will probably need mental health care. It turns out that with medications being automatically administered to emulated brains, most people just need someone new to talk to in order to solve minor mental issues, and if a new perspective isn't enough then Hours can be used to receive professional psychological therapy. Aside from that, most issues with living forever are usually related to mental health as well, so keeping a fair amount of Hours is a good idea.

Volunteering to spend time conversing with people who are much different than yourself is an easy way to earn more Hours. People who would agree with you too much tend to leave you without a new perspective, while talking to strangers tends to bring opportunities. You could be the person who says “I know a guy” if you spend enough time chatting with random people about life.

Luxuries
In an economy of infinite supply, the artisan plays a critical role. Anything you buy as a luxury requires the time of a professional, in order to construct what you want. This enables a different way of thinking about money than you would expect.

While the comparison can be made to buying an expensive suit, the economy of the New Real is tailored to “you can’t have it all”. You can’t have the best house, best cars, best yacht, best everything… because everything has to be made by hand and you start with nothing but the clothes on your back when you enter the New Real. Even if large sums of money are accumulated, the economic system is designed to prevent rapid wealth accumulation (such as banning the practice of banks loaning out more money than they have) and create gradual money sinks.