If you’re familiar with online worlds, you might think that this means that players create objects that other players play with, and it’s true-they can, they do, and they should! But even this is a simplistic way of looking at things. I’ve published a new post on the Playable Worlds blog about the value of a player-driven economy and what it really means. I’ve been doing research on Second Life for years to improve the experience for new users, and the top priority for people is not changing time zones, not friends, not gifts, but work. It’s about how we want to live and play, and how we find that our silly hobbies are vital to someone else. It often boils down to the phrase “a gamer-driven economy. ” And people think that means revenue models and monetization. I agree: the biggest challenge in MMOs is finding ways for different styles of play to positively influence each other without destroying each other. It’s about making sure that each style of game plays its role in the ecosystem. I’m excited to see new articles. I look forward to reading and learning more about your new project. The player-driven economy is not about money. It’s about jobs. At the end of the day, everybody has to count. They want to get a place in the economy. They even have this Protestant work ethic in the game. Real jobs. 1998 – 2021 Raph Koster. To make money.