How do you create a fair, engaging, and scalable game economy?

2 Design your resources

Resources are the items, assets, or values that players can acquire, use, or trade in your game. Resources can be divided into two main categories: consumable and durable. Consumable resources are used up or depleted when players use them, such as health potions, ammo, or energy. Durable resources are permanent or persistent, such as weapons, armor, or skills. You need to design your resources carefully, considering their availability, scarcity, utility, and variety in your game. You also need to balance your resources, ensuring that they are neither too abundant nor too scarce, and that they match the difficulty and progression of your game.

3 Design your currencies

Currencies are the units of exchange that players use to buy, sell, or trade resources in your game. Currencies can be divided into two main types: soft and hard. Soft currencies are easy to earn and spend in your game, such as gold, coins, or gems. Hard currencies are difficult to earn and spend in your game, such as diamonds, crystals, or tokens. You need to design your currencies carefully, considering their sources, sinks, and conversion rates in your game. You also need to balance your currencies, ensuring that they are neither too cheap nor too expensive, and that they reflect the value and rarity of the resources they can buy.

4 Design your transactions

Transactions are the actions or events that involve the exchange of resources or currencies in your game. Transactions can be divided into two main types: internal and external. Internal transactions are those that happen within your game, such as buying items from a shop, crafting items from materials, or upgrading items with resources. External transactions are those that happen outside your game, such as buying currencies with real money, watching ads for rewards, or subscribing for benefits. You need to design your transactions carefully, considering their frequency, quantity, and quality in your game. You also need to balance your transactions, ensuring that they are neither too frequent nor too rare, and that they offer fair and meaningful rewards.

5 Test and iterate

Once you have designed your game economy, you need to test and iterate on it. Testing your game economy involves collecting and analyzing data on how players interact with your resources, currencies, and transactions. You need to monitor key metrics, such as retention, engagement, conversion, and revenue, and identify any issues, gaps, or opportunities in your game economy. You also need to iterate on your game economy, making adjustments, improvements, or additions based on your data and feedback. You need to test and iterate on your game economy regularly, as your game evolves and your player base grows.

6 Learn from others

Finally, you can learn from other games and developers who have created successful game economies. You can study their game economy design, analyze their data and results, and apply their best practices and lessons learned to your own game. You can also join online communities, forums, or blogs where game developers share their insights and experiences on game economy design. You can also attend workshops, webinars, or courses on game economy design, where you can learn from experts and peers in the field.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?