Indicator Products for Observing Market Conditions and Game Trends in MMOG

Abstract

Complex economic phenomena require significant time and effort to make observations and collect data. Inspired by the concepts of indicator species and the Big Mac index, in this paper we propose a novel and intuitive market concept, indicator products, for analyzing purchase decisions that are made on a regular basis, and for helping online game designers and researchers to observe player behaviors and market conditions. Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft is used to show how indicator products can be identified. We discuss the common features that indicator products share, as well as associated player behaviors.