For the first time in the history of MMO games, CCP Games, creators of EVE Online have announced the appointment of an in-world lead economist for the game. They are commissioning a dedicated real world economist to constantly monitor and make a research for the virtual world. This appointment comes as a real testament to the growing intricacy and strength of EVE Online’s thriving virtual economy.
As the official report says, Dr. Eyjólfur Guðmundsson brings an over 15-years-experience in economic studies and research, and joins CCP directly from the University of Akureyri, Iceland, where he – among several teaching positions – held the position of the Dean of the Faculty of Business and Science. Prior to that, he was a research associate at the University of Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Economics where he also completed his PhD. He has also authored or co-authored 15 publications. Dr. Guðmundsson’s first blog on EVE Online economics can be found here. (more…)