ecurnomics

all right. to tell you about this, i am going to have to 'splain a couple o' things to you, because neither of you probably plays glitch.

let's start as if you came in today: it's a game i play. no, you can't play it too right now, because you can't get in. i got in during the first beta and then the game went public and now it's back to beta AND nobody can invite you in like they used to be able to do, because there's a current moratorium on new players until they fix some things.

get your own links if you want them.

but it's interesting.

it is a very open ended MMO, and it turns out that a lot of people in it are actually playing different games.

for instance, some people are playing the "i have more stuff than you" game. some people are playing the "i am at a higher level than you" game. some are playing "i have as much stuff as possible and compulsively collect things" and some people are playing the "i've been everywhere and knoweverything" game. some people play the "isn't my outfit cute?" game, and yet others are playing "hang out and chat. here's a rainbow."

it's further complicated in that there are three currencies in ur (the name of the world), one (currants; isn't that cute?) that buys objects, like beans and cherries and tools, one (imagination) that buys intangibles, like the ability to plant more trees in your yard, or speed up your learning of skills, and a third currency (credits) that buys cosmetic things like outfits for your character and snazzy decorative furniture for your house.

currants and imagination are earned through ingame mechanics, and credits are bought with actual cash money.

i play a lot of games in ur. one of the games i like to play is to run secret contests that do not appear to be contests. recently i left a series of whiny little notes around that said "i never seem to have enough currants. if you would like to help me with this, please send me some."

and then when unsuspecting people sent me money, i sent them a note that said "your kindness is rewarded. i have taken the liberty of multiplying your donation by ten and returning it to you."

i sent them the money, of course.

but recently i have been enjoying a game i call "let's mess with the markets and see what happens".

i think this post is enough for you to try to digest as it is.

tomorrow, maybe, i will tell you about the markets.