Video games ยูฟ่า ดีลเลอร์สด บาคาร่า have exploded in popularity, and players can access their favorite titles from anywhere with an internet connection. The gaming industry has become a booming business that generates huge income, and the economies of massively multiplayer online games have grown so complex that they require economists to help them manage their monetary systems.

These thriving virtual worlds operate much like real-world economies, and their intricate money markets can teach us a lot about economics. For example, they show how even in a virtual environment where poverty is merely virtual, there can be more inequality than in the world’s real-life poorest countries.

From Loot Boxes to Esports: Unraveling the Economics Behind Online Gaming

In The Economics of Online Gaming, the authors explore what these video game economies can tell us about money, business, careers and equity. They cover key concepts such as supply and demand, resource scarcity, price volatility and the role of government in a free market. They also look at what it takes for a game to succeed and why gamers choose certain play styles. Each chapter begins with a story from a popular video game, then discusses the relevant economic theory and ends with a real-world application.

One example is the virtual currency of a game called Eve Online, where players buy and sell in-game items for real cash. Its designers regularly introduce new technologies and change the availability of raw materials to keep the economy afloat, much as businesses sometimes introduce changes in the real world to stimulate the economy. But there are limits to this libertarian experiment: when currency supply increases, prices rise. This makes items that are already in short supply more expensive, and it erodes the buying power of a given amount of virtual money.