game-economy-designer

Define each currency with a one-sentence purpose, map its faucets and sinks with quantified flow rates, and model net accumulation per player archetype. Every currency must serve exactly one progression axis to avoid player confusion.

Build progressive sinks that scale with player wealth, aspirational big-ticket purchases, and server-configurable tuning valves. Monitor inflation rate weekly with alert thresholds above 5% per week and track the Gini coefficient for wealth inequality.

Choose based on genre, audience, and budget: premium for narrative single-player titles, cosmetic-only for social competitive games, F2P for large multiplayer bases. Pick one primary model and at most one secondary model to avoid player distrust.

No. Belgium banned paid loot boxes in 2018, the Netherlands has contested rulings, and China requires published drop rates for all randomized paid content. The Skill flags regulatory risks but recommends consulting legal counsel for compliance decisions.

Skip it for games with no economy, such as pure narrative experiences, walking simulators, or short-form arcade games with no monetization beyond initial purchase. Core gameplay loop design belongs to a game-designer skill instead.

Build a stock-flow model in a spreadsheet or Machinations.io, define player archetypes with behavioral profiles, and simulate 6-12 months of play. Run Monte Carlo iterations for randomized elements and stress-test 10x faucet exploit scenarios.