January 10, 2016

Comparing Freemium Game Models

I suppose I’ve been playing freemium video games for a few years now. (For those who haven’t heard of the “freemium” business model, it’s the strategy of selling a good or service which is free to access but costs money for premium features. Freemium software, especially video games, are popular because the barrier to entry is made as low as possible to hook people. I highly recommend the South Park episode on the subject, “Freemium Isn’t Free”.) Some of the freemium games I’ve played include (in chronological order of when I started playing each): ...

November 26, 2013

Bad Bidding or Avoid Buying Used Stuff

As some of you may know, I’m currently in a class on Game Theory in the Economics department. I originally signed up because, hey, games, but also because I saw A Beautiful Mind and I wanted to learn a little more about Game Theory. (My professor confessed that despite a large number of students taking the class because of the movie, the little Game Theory used in the film is actually incorrect. Oh well.) I find Game Theory fascinating and it really is a subject that people should study, if only because its hyper-rational approach to life actually has some applications, in addition to being insightful and stimulating. ...

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