Game Theory and Game Sales

Here are a few bits from recent news that I found interesting. The first is that the developers of the fantastic game World of Goo decided to go with a PWYW (Pay What You Want) model to celebrate the 1st birthday of the game. One week of this model brought in over $100,000 in sales for them, far more than they see in a standard week. They analyzed the purchasing and user motivations in a detailed blog post that is worth reading. I paid full price for the game when it was released and I would be happy to do so again.

The second bit is a short summary of a game that University of Texas economist Daniel Hamermesh plays with his students in a Principles of Economics class. The game teaches students that it is very difficult to maintain collusion in economies because the rewards for breaking the rules are too great. I wonder if he could develop a similar game based on a PWYW model?