Key Takeaways
1. Economic Integrity: Developers should prioritize a fair game economy where players earn rewards through gameplay, avoiding shortcuts like cheating or buying advantages.
2. Skill-Based Progression: In seasonal resets, player progression should depend on skill rather than exploits, purchases, or manipulation of game systems.
3. Strict Measures Against Cheating: Developers should not only ban cheaters but also delete their accounts or items to maintain fairness in the game.
4. Cosmetic Rewards for Rollbacks: When addressing major economic disruptions, offering cosmetic rewards instead of buffs can help maintain game balance.
5. Caution with Monetization: While pay-to-win elements may generate quick revenue, they can harm the long-term sustainability of online games.
Path of Exile’s co-creator and Grinding Gear Games’ co-founder, Chris Wilson, has a lot of important advice for developers interested in crafting online RPGs with unique economies. He shared his thoughts in a recent YouTube video titled “Protecting Your Online RPG’s Economic Integrity.”
New Beginnings
Having left GGG toward the end of 2023, Wilson is now at the helm of a small independent studio named Light Pattern. In his video, he emphasized that making sure the game’s economy is fair for all players should be the main goal, even if it means missing out on quick profits.
He introduced the concept of “economic integrity.” According to him, players should earn loot and level up through gameplay, maintaining a balanced environment where no one gains an unfair advantage through cheating, exploits, or purchasing their way to success.
Fair Play Matters
This principle is particularly crucial in online games that reset after each season, as every reset creates temporary economies where players strive to establish themselves on leaderboards. Wilson pointed out that progression should rely more on skill rather than being “purchased, botted, exploited, or obtained through manipulation of support services.”
To maintain fairness in online RPGs, Wilson offered his views on handling cheaters and exploiters. His stance is quite tough, suggesting developers should go further than just banning accounts and actually delete the accounts or items of those who cheat. He explained:
Taking the time to clean up every account, even those you believe are permanently banned, is worth it.
Addressing Major Issues
For larger issues that could disrupt a game’s economy, Wilson advised that developers should consider rollbacks, but instead of providing buffs or stat-enhancing items as compensation, they should offer cosmetic rewards instead.
He also talked about monetization, mentioning that while pay-to-win elements may yield quick revenue, they can damage the sustainability of online games over time. He refrained from directly naming specific titles in the video, although it’s clear he was referring to Path of Exile 2, as players have been discussing the game’s economy and recent exploits.
Additionally, Wilson reflected on a personal error when approving an expansion for Path of Exile four years ago. When the expansion launched, a large number of players faced long login queues, including paid streamers.
In a rush, he allowed these streamers to bypass the queue, which disadvantaged other players who had been waiting since the expansion went live. Wilson noted:
I failed to consider the economic edge this granted to those streamers, allowing them to get ahead due to a real-world privilege, which created unfairness. We were justifiably criticized, and I quickly recognized the error I had made.
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