Financial systems analysis as a MMRPG

There's a very popular online game called Everquest (Yes, I play it. Xegony server, if you must, but I'm afk atm) where people go on a series of seemingly mindless quests for odds and ends which, when turned into the appropriate non-player-character (or NPC) give you a bit of advantage into the game. A bit of experience (a quantifiable commodity, but then again this is a fantasy) perhaps a bit of coin, or a new bit of armour or weaponry. How is this different from financial systems analysis? The online game is a bit more structured and has less of a dress code, but otherwise not much. In the world of finance, you are constantly seeking bits of paper and delivering them to what appear to be non-playing characters, only to be rewarded with another piece of paper that you have to get signed, thence to deliver it to another non-playing character (say, an Auditor). For this, you get Experience, and maybe a little money. There is a form of stylized combat, where you go up against other players to compete for budget or to shortcut a process (a rare drop, that) and the major value you get for your experience is learning how to navigate through the institution that's paying you real money for real things, like food. There are places (just like the game) where you only want to go in armed, and in groups -- especially if you're an auditor (no, I'm not ... although I understand the need for them, as there are some things lab rats simply won't do). There are huge fields where the challenges come at you with the intent to kill you (or your career) for their own advantage. If your group is strong, and you pick your battles, you can win. If not, you find yourself at the home point looking for some form of resurrection, bereft of weapons and armour and funds, seeking a magic rock that can restore you to your former glory.