E44: Incentive UGC Determinism for the Future of Gaming (w/Alex Seropian)
UGC is about to change forever. In the same way all technologies govern and enable the creative, MTX will do the same for Fortnite. Or will it? Alex Seropian (Look World North, The Forth Curtain) joins the cast to discuss UEFN's ability to enable creators to monetize islands directly. We discuss:What new games will emerge with MTX?Is UGC IP defensible? What exactly is the endgame for UGC studios?What's the maximum a Roblox studio earns?Chapters00:00 Introduction to UEFN and Guest Background03:48 UEFN's New Features and Developer Impact07:22 Comparing UEFN with Roblox10:23 The Future of IP in Gaming17:47 Epic's Strategic Vision and Development Tools21:04 The Evolution of UGC Platforms22:53 Challenges in User-Generated Content26:27 Monetization Models in Gaming28:01 The Joy of Game Development30:46 The Future of Fortnite's Economy39:16 China's Role in UGC Development41:40 Feedback Loops in Game Development
Eric Seufert joins to dissect AI hype, marginal ROAS, Jeremy Bentham's legacy, and managing a multi-million-dollar marketing budget that falls empirically short. WE discuss:How do you evaluate an “AI startup” in 90 seconds without being duped?Can LLM-driven hypothesis testing replace the Monday creative meeting and outperform it?If marginal ROAS is the real constraint, why do teams still optimize to averages?When should a Battlefield-scale launch actually spend less on day one and wait two weeks?Why did free-to-play economics conquer games but stall on platforms like Twitch or Spotify?Will AI-driven volatility make electricity markets funky?
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E42: Vertical Progression Is Gaming's Sex & Finally A Web3 Hope
Forget the endless autopsies on why Web3 gaming flatlined, @Chris gets past the clichés and gets into the real pathology: a misdiagnosis of what “play-to-earn” was ever good for. @Eric & @Phil on vertical progression is the most important retention driver for several specific reasonsThe “market for lemons” problem in developer <> publisher relations: why developers can banbooze publishersSub to Eric and Chris' Substack here:https://substack.com/@ericguanhttps://substack.com/@chriseconomics00:00 Introduction and Free Trials in Drug Dealing00:28 Economics of Drug Dealing02:11 Personal Experiences and Data Collection03:24 Car Dealerships and Market Monopolies04:57 Gaming Industry Insights: Clash Royale19:08 Battlefield 6: Gameplay and Strategy27:11 Rollerblading Adventures28:36 Rollerblading Economics30:16 Web3 Gaming Struggles34:54 Understanding Play-to-Earn Mechanics43:42 The Market for Lemons52:24 Conflicting Data on Gen Z Spending56:51 The Importance of Reliable Economic Data01:05:43 Conclusion and Future Topics
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E41: Karl Marx as a 5* Character & Ukrainian Drone Economy Design
Eric covers the economy and the system’s design of Ukraine’s Drone squadron. What does economy balancing look like in the face of war? Phil can’t stop gushing about Heroes of History, but there's one economy design piece holding it up. The crew descends into a John Maynard Keynes debate as a 4* or 5* character. Chris covers the economic impact of the UK’s new obligation for internet providers, potentially transforming UGC as we know it.https://ericguan.substack.com/p/ukraine-gamified-drone-warfare
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E40: The Best Web3 Arguments (w/Yat Siu, Cofounder of Animoca Brands)
Yat Siu, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, steps cast to defend Web3 against @Eric and @Phil’s vigorous skepticism. @Chris just want to know why gamers don’t get it. Is Web2 fundamentally incapable of grasping the promise of open markets? What is and should be promised to token holders? We discuss:Laying down Web3’s steelman caseWhy the West still doesn't get Web3 like the EastExamining the original token sin, where did it all go wrong?Do digital property rights actually hold back economic growth?
What does the new wave of open economies mean for monetization? Will negative externalities overcome cosmetic economies in the long run? What exactly does a game economist do?
Game Economist Cast is a roundtable discussion of the latest developments in mobile, HD, and crypto games, through a bunch of people figuring it out using the economic toolkit.
South Africa