[mental1896]

>you're never shielded from inflation

It seems to me that inflation is integral to success of the system. That is to say, without inflation, far fewer people would "win".

[MerelyMortal]

> without inflation, far fewer people would "win".

Wouldn't it also be: without inflation, the people not playing wouldn't "lose"?

[ziml77]

Without inflation, people would naturally hoard their money for safekeeping. But money that isn't changing hands effectively doesn't exist. An economy is made up of the movement of money, so inflation is used to ensure that people keep the money moving.