<description>&lt;p&gt;Is fair matchmaking actually bad design? And how exactly did gaming companies fumble the bag when it came to the army of PhD psychologists they employ? &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;We talk:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt; • Sweepstakes, social casino, velocity, and why most players never cash out &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Why Wordle feels flat to some designers and why elegance is not the same as progression &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Surveys as UX, not truth machines, and how to extract signal without lying to yourself &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Compensating differentials, handicaps, and why 50 percent win rates kill progression &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;• Bots, deception, and whether games are magic shows or fraud&lt;/p&gt;
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Is fair matchmaking actually bad design? And how exactly did gaming companies fumble the bag when it came to the army of PhD psychologists they employ? We talk: • Sweepstakes, social casino, velocity, and why most players never cash out • Why Wordle feels flat to some designers and why elegance is not the same as progression • Surveys as UX, not truth machines, and how to extract signal without lying to yourself • Compensating differentials, handicaps, and why 50 percent win rates kill progression • Bots, deception, and whether games are magic shows or fraud

Game Economist Cast

E46: Economics of Sweepstakes, Vertical Word Game Progression, and UXR Failure

E46: Economics of Sweepstakes, Vertical Word Game Progression, and UXR Failure

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