Game Economist Cast Phillip Black

Dr. Sam Rosen of Temple University finally unleashes the Veblen Goods model for which every Game Economist yearns. We discuss:
Why don't sold-out artists raise ticket prices?Why do NFT projects go boom or bust?Should auction-based goods mask demand for their products?What types of Pokémon are optimal for collecting in Go?Dr.Rosen's paper, co-authored with Dr.Anthony Lee Zhang & Sebeom Oh, is out now!

Eric reminds us that The Wizard of Oz is a heated monetarism debate, while Chris goes six layers deep on enforcing royalties. Phil thinks Warzone Mobile is a good executive Powerpoint math muddled with poor execution, but good economics secured him Taylor Swift tickets. 
Subscribe to Chris' Substack and Eric's SubstackLimit Break's New ERC standard

Eric Guan on the economics of the video game job marketPhillip Black on why big gaming co. employees are frustratedDr. Julian Runge build a theory of persona and personalization in an Uber to the airportChristopher Kaczmarczyk-Smith solve for the missing web3 UGC gamePlus, a GEC After Hours on the state of San Francisco.

Matthew Melnyk joins the crew to finally tell us what's social about social casinos. Eric discovers a genre outside of CCG roguelikes...Psych, this time, it's Cobalt Core. Chris bends the supply survey backward to explain progression windfalls, while Phil tries to connect the dots between leaderboards and auction systems.

No Palword take is too late; something is not lost on the Game Economist Cast crew. Eric beguiles us with Cassette Beasts' analysis, while Chris reminds us of web3's oft-forgotten but newly popular Airdrop mechanics. Bonk? Phil can't get over the post-COVID decline in weekly gaming hours, but Eric cooks on a theory that a growing leisure pie might save us all.

[1] Sub to Eric and Chris's Substack!
[2] It's a bubble, it's a market, it's an Airdop!
[3] The Tremendous Yet Troubled State of Gaming in 2024

Eric starts 2024 with a new paper on League of Legends published by leading researchers. Is there an optimal amount of excitement in matches, and if so, where is it? Chris returns from Italy, and holy cannoli, did he have a "time" while  Phil laments subscription-based pricing as the antithesis of game monetization.  The crew agrees to spend money on Magic The Gathering this year.