USD TO GAC CONVERSION FACTOR
The Answer:
0.7275 USD : 1 GAC
The Process:
DISCLAIMER: This is just for fun and likely very inaccurate. I have to make pretty unreasonable assumptions because of the lack of information about the economy in the show.
In “Space Mall” (S2E7), Lance and Pidge buy Killbot Phantasm I: Journey to the Depths of the Demonsphere and the Mercury Gameflux II Console with a glove controller for 1200 GAC.
Since we don’t know what Earth year it is exactly, accounting for inflation would be very inaccurate. This calculation will be using 2024 USD.
The glove is pretty similar to the Nintendo NES Power Glove, which had an introductory price of $190 USD accounting for inflation.
Because this glove is compatible with the Mercury Gameflux II Console, the console should be comparable to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) that is compatible with the NES Power Glove. The NES’s introductory price is $524 2024 USD.
Finally, Killbot Phantasm I: Journey to the Depths of the Demonsphere is a fantasy roleplay game with at least 3 player slots and 36 levels. Similar NES compatible games cost around $60 in 1988 ($159 in 2024).
Assuming the seller at the Space Mall was true to US market prices, the compiled $873 is equivalent to 1200 GAC.
873/1200 = 0.7275
So the conversion factor is…
0.7275 USD : 1 GAC