As reported on Virtual Worlds News, for the first time in MMOG history, CCP Games, developer of EVE Online, has hired a dedicated economist to deal with the game’s economy. The person hired boosts 15 years of academic economic experience and research. This is very refreshing news. As MMOGs get more and more complicated, we need to recognize these virtual worlds are no longer simple playground that designers can willy-nilly change things around and “hope” that it works. Serious statistical models should be built, and with simulators to simulate any major change to the economy.

I don’t have serious mathematical background, but the guessing games that many designers do on spreadsheets can’t be right. EVE Online has always fascinated me as a virtual world, and this just adds to it.