Hi Game Development People, This posting is a bit of an odd duck, apologies if it belongs in another forum. I'm an undergraduate student of economics preparing for graduate work in the philosophy of heterodox (unconventional) economic systems. I've been more or less settled with the idea of working within an applied policy NGO or think-tank after grad school. I've decided to hold a detour to my goals and before I take the final plunge into the world of policy research/development for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that I at least give the gaming industry a try. This leads to my question:

Can you suggest resources on those persons, companies and teams who've led the development of economic systems in current and future MMORPGs?

If you have no clue what I'm writing about, the question could be rephrased as "Who were the leaders behind the team who designed, implemented and maintain the WoW trading system?". I imagine it's an extremely small niche in the gaming industry. I just don't know where to start! Thanks for taking the time to read, best wishes. Jay, North Carolina [Edited by - ncjay on June 29, 2008 6:20:23 PM]

You might want to check out Eternal Lands Development Journal or more precisely article "MMORPG Economy" (part 1, part 2).

Regarding EVE Online, from Wikipedia:

Quote:On 27 June 2007 CCP announced that an economist had been employed to assist in the development of the economic side of the game. Dr. Guðmundsson has stated that he will be responsible for compiling quarterly economic reports for the community and providing ongoing analysis of the economic facets of Eve, along with coordinating research with other interested parties.