On Computers

If you think the current economic crisis is bad, wait till you’ve experienced it in the virtual world.

According to a study by the University of Southern California’s Annenberg Communications School, economic fluctuations are far more dramatic in online games than they are in the real world. Looking at the role-playing game Everquest, researchers discovered that inflation rose more than 50 percent in a five-month period. Such trends can be calculated because players in many online games can buy and sell items and powers.

Filed under: trends