by Cody Bye on Aug 06, 2008
Virtual world economies are a finicky thing, and a whole host of
super-intelligent game developers and economists have pushed their
brain power to the max trying to figure out the best way to manage the
constant inflation/deflation of many in-game items. But what happens if
your game is based around a Utopian society? A culture where money
doesn't matter? That's what the developers at Cryptic Studios are
facing with Star Trek Online and the perilous obstacle of trying to
merge different economies into one another. Guest columnist Chris
"Spare" Higgins poses a number of questions to our readers regarding
Utopian societies and how members of Starfleet will interact with the
outside universe. The dilemmas he poses are quite substantial, so make
sure you check out the article!