線上遊戲世界之物價資料分析─角色高階化現象探討

Abstract

永續經營的線上遊戲世界中，角色的高階化是必然的趨勢。在高階化的遊戲世界中，高等級的玩家角色累積了較多的財富，而造成較高的物價水準，因此角色的高階化現象將影響遊戲中的經濟平衡。物價過高或是資源太少對於新手玩家來說都是不友善的遊戲環境，若未作出適當的調控，將無法吸引新玩家的加入，也會對遊戲的永續經營造成影響。基於遊戲經濟平衡的重要性，本研究欲藉由動態的觀察與分析遊戲世界中物價資料，探討遊戲的高階化現象。

本研究觀察《魔獸世界》遊戲伺服器中的經濟行為，將不同伺服器視為不同的經濟體，以遊戲中的拍買場資料持續觀察物價的波動。本研究結果發現在遊戲世界中，隨著伺服器年齡的增長，高階化程度提高，物價也隨之提高。另一方面，研究結果也發現雖然遊戲世界中的市場供需由作為群體的玩家角色們所影響，但物價將隨著遊戲重大變革而有立即的反應，所以系統對於遊戲中的物價調控有著決定性的影響。

For perpetual operation in online games, top-leveled characters will inevitably dominate game server sooner or later. High-level characters accumulate more wealth and more need for high-end gears, which leads to higher price level in online game servers. Therefore, the top-leveled-characters phenomenon influences the economic balance in online game world. It is unfriendly for the novice entering the game under such situation of high price level and deficiency in resources. There will be a significant and negative influence on attracting new players when no proper actions are taken. This article focuses on the economic balance in game worlds, addressing the top-leveled-characters phenomenon by dynamically analyzing the price data in online games.

In this study, the economic behavior in the game “World of Warcraft” is observed, and different servers are regarded as different economic entities. The price fluctuation is observed continually in the auction house of the game. According to our research findings, the degree of top-leveled-characters and the prices of items will increase with the growth of the servers. On the other hand, the results also reveal that though the demand and supply of market is affected by game players as a group, prices of items would nevertheless respond immediately after the updates of the game. As a result, the game system remains the direct and major impact on game world economics.