Video Game Economies | The Digital Marketplace Of The Past & Future

Mere Mortals

Why is a blue party hat worth so much money!?
In Episode #468 of Mere Mortals 'Musings', Juan and I discuss: how virtual items can gain real-world value, why in-game economies mirror real-world behaviour of scarcity/market manipulation/speculative trading, the reason crypto gaming has largely fallen flat (but might have a future in games like Off The Grid), whether people will watch AI agents gaming in the future and why the crypto casino is already a game in itself.
Huge thanks to Violet Mouse for the support this week, what a legend!
Timeline:
(00:00:00) Intro
(00:01:29) Runescape's Rare Items
(00:05:15) Human Behaviour in Virtual Economies
(00:09:01) The Psychology of In-Game Purchases
(00:17:00) Crypto Games: Hype vs Reality
(00:29:29) The Future of Gaming and Crypto Integration
(00:31:32) Boostagram Lounge
(00:34:14) Out-of-Game Economies and Real-World Impact
(00:44:02) Speculation and Game Dynamics
(00:52:38) AI and the Future of Gaming
(01:01:41) Crypto's Role in Gaming's Future

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