Economics Designer Economics designers have a fairly straightforward duty in the realm of video game design: They design the financial system within games. From the rupees that Link collected in Zelda to the ability to buy land in Second Life, economies have been a pivotal part of many games; it is the responsibility of economics designers to see that these economies are viable, fair, and entertaining for the gamer. In recent years, game economies have become increasingly important, with games like World of Warcraft and other massive multiplayer online role-playing games giving gamers endless options to explore expansive worlds, complete with monetary systems and methods of exchange and commerce. An economics designer sets the values for in-game items and services through tactics such as only releasing a limited amount of goods, or making them available only at a certain time; constantly creating new goods that gamers can aspire to at different levels; creating “wear and tear” on items, so gamers have to replace them; creating secondary markets for in-game goods and services where players can trade among themselves; creating auction houses; preventing possible fraud; and employing other strategies that rely heavily on real-world economic principles.
Seattle, Washington, United States of America Seattle is a seaport city on the west coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With an estimated 725,000 residents as of 2018, Seattle is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region of North America. Seattle is home to the famous Space Needle, which formed part of the game Infamous Second Son from Seattle game developer Sucker Punch Productions. In fact, many major video game companies have their headquarters in Seattle including Microsoft, Nintendo of America and Valve. Seattle is also the birthplace of rock musician Jimi Hendrix, as well as the origin of the bands Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Foo Fighters and the alternative rock movement grunge.
