Abstract: A method and apparatus for playing a game is provided. Unique indicia are assigned to each member of a plurality of groups. Each group is composed of entries that correspond to items that each have a value that is objective, arbitrary, and that fluctuates over time, e.g., the items in each group may correspond to the performance of openly traded instruments in the market. A performance value for of the each groups are calculated and displayed over a period of time. To play the game, a player makes of selection of one or more alphabetic characters to play in a race or a contest. The player may make the selection electronically by submission through a displayed user interface. In a set of games that lend itself to amusement and contests, the selection is scored based on the performance value associated with each unique indicium in the players selection.