Preface: A Real Cash Economy

The Entropia Universe Economy and You

Preface: A Real Cash Economy Part 1: Personal Economics Part 2: Social Economics Part 3: Global Economics Part 4: Universal Economics Part 5: "Virtual" Real Life Application

We all live and play in the Virtual Universe of Entropia Universe. One of the more unique things about this game is the fact that it is based on a Real Cash Economy. This means that all of the in game items and money have a Real World Value as well as their Virtual Value. Each 10PED(Project Entropia Dollar) is worth 1USD (United States Dollar.) Real money can be deposited into the game to play with, or withdrawn from the game into your Real Life Bank Account.

The use of real money within a game makes the game play more exciting because you know that you are spending or possibly even making real money. It also makes the markets in the game a lot more realistic. (I didn't say completely realistic) No one is going to give you expensive items for free because they are worth real money that they have invested. This makes starting the game very difficult for some people, but it also makes it more challenging and has led to a generally more mature and responsible player base.

Even though there are no subscription fees to play this game the developers still need to get paid. To do this they have created the game in a way that everything we do AVERAGES a slight loss. Different player studies have found that the average amount kept for the developers is 10%(this is not a known fact, but a commonly accepted one). Suppose 1000 players all go out and spend 100PED hunting, that is 100,000PED. The developers will keep 10,000PED of that as their pay, and give 90,000PED back to the players. That means on average each of those 1000players will get 90PED back from their hunt. That is just the average though, some of those players will get a lot less, and some will get a lot more. (the players will also gain valuable skills which will help them be more efficient in their professions, these skills can actually be sold for PED as well)

Graph of a Real Player's Returns

There are ways to play the game though which will allow you to make much better use of your PED and the loot you get hunting/mining/crafting. It is very important for any dedicated member of the Entropia Universe to understand the markets of anything they may use or produce as well as how those items and resources affect the players around them.

Ill give you an extreme case on how you want it to work in your favor.

If you take 100PED hunting and return with 90PED of loot and sell it to the Trade Terminal you have lost 10PED or paid the developers 1 united states dollar for an hour or two of entertainment. (much cheaper than going to a movie or out to dinner)

If you take that 90PED of loot and instead sell it to someone who needs it for something they are doing for 120% of its TT(trade terminal) value, then you have 108PED or you have profited 8PED for that hunt which is 80 united states cents.

This is not easily done, because most things you loot are not worth that much to anyone, but you get the idea, and that is part of what I would like to discuss in this series of posts.

--Narfi 19:44, 24 September 2010 (BST)