The key to MMO economics, and the basic elements of fun gameplay boils down to the idea of resource scarcity causing necessary conflict, according to EVE Online's in-house Economist, Dr. Eyjólfur "Eyjo" Guðmundsson.
As Edward Castronova wrote in his book Synthetic Worlds, "the very process of making choices under scarcity is enjoyable."
Guðmundsson echoes his sentiment by pointing out that if every item, level or achievement in a game is acquired with no labor (or the use of player resources), these games lose the conflict necessary to drive a story, an economy or a fun gameplay experience.
CCP Games has unveiled an ambitious roadmap for their sci-fi MMO EVE Online in 2024, headlined by the massive Equinox expansion set to launch on June 11th.
Alex from The Nerd Stash: "CCP Games' latest expansion for EVE Online, Havoc, is off to a flying start following its release earlier this month, the developer has confirmed."
Some thoughts from the developers on various aspects of the new EVE Online Havoc expansion and more.
