Updated January 21, 2007

Play Time is an economic analysis of play in massively-multiplayer online roleplaying games (MMORPG). It began as an undergraduate 'honors thesis', but like most of my projects, it grew to a monstrous size and carried me away with it.

Contents

Play Time was originally written as one long and rather heterogeneous paper, but I have since revised and reorganized it. The work now comprises a general introduction and three separate monographs, of which 'The Problem of Abundance in MMORPG' is certainly the most important. It should be accessible to anyone who has taken one or two college-level economics courses. PDF and web texts are available:

• An Introduction [PDF]
  An overview of the topics to be discussed along with definitions used throughout the work.
• An Overview of the MMORPG Genre [PDF]
  A broad description of the genre written in a scholarly style. Most players and designers will not find this interesting.
• The Problem of Abundance in MMORPG [PDF]
  This is the paper to read. Identifies the wants and constraints that motivate players and developers, and shows that many definitive aspects of MMORPG design serve economic functions. Also contains my answer to Castronova's tortured 'puzzle of puzzles'.
• Principles of MMORPG Asymmetric Trade
  A fairly detailed undergraduate-level analysis of the microeconomics of 'eBaying'. I haven't finished revising this one yet.
• References
  A bibliography for the foregoing works.