@StressedOutCat said:

Step one: in game Hats!

Step two: ......

Step three: Profit!

Step two is "more hats" btw.

@Eviternal:

They should scrap quests altogether, since it's been months since the last set. Hell, there hasn't even been a new quest set this year.

FASCINATING...I never thought such things could be...

@CaLe said:

I remember seeing them looking for an economist on their hiring page. I believe they are also looking for psychologists and mathematicians.

Really? Hm. That's interesting. They must be working on some real serious stuff if they want those types of people.

@swedmiro said:

So now they transform to the Evil Empire..only Notch stands firm against the forces of darkness!

Are you kidding me?

I suppose he learned how to forge narratives and empirical knowledge that transcend the border separating the ‘real’ from the digital economies at university... right?

@Patman99: Being an advisor doesn't mean anyone listened to your advice. Yanis is a marxist and I doubt he agreed with many of the decisions that were made in Greece. He gives great insight on what went wrong in Greece if you watch his speeches. Also explains in detail how Greece worked with GS to hide their debt.

this is so cool. and i like his blog.

@Video_Game_King said:

@Eviternal:

They should scrap quests altogether, since it's been months since the last set. Hell, there hasn't even been a new quest set this year.

Interns handled quests and they haven't had any this year. So no wonder quests have been neglected.

I'm honestly surprised they didn't employ someone in a role like that already just based on their enormous marketshare of an entire industry sector.

That said, I also fucking love Planet Money. It's amazing.

They needed someone who could count to 3. RIGHT?!

http://www.badum-tish.com/

That economist's metric spreadsheet about me says i am "mid to hard core" with a touch of dude bro". Screw you Mr. Economist.

It's one of academia's little ironies that Mr. Varoufakis has no game industry experience even in the broadest sense, but has co-authored a book on Game Theory. I suspect he'll continue to find he has more in common than not with the designers at Valve. Should be a fascinating blog.

@Subjugation said:

Economist is credit to team.

Here's a handy chart illustrating how punny that was to economists (red) and non-economists (blue). :)

@dinex: He obviously is good at what he does. It's just his background would raise a few alarms. Not criticizing, just a peculiar background for a famous economist.

CCP keeps an economist on staff to manage EVE Online's economy, actually. (which is probably almost as intricate as the economy of many small nations at this point)

I love this line in Gabe's email to him: "Rather than continuing to run an emulator of you in my head, I thought I’d check to see if we couldn’t get the real you..."

What a fantastic nerd! Also, if Yanis is a Marxist economist he's going to relish writing about Valve's "no hierarchy" corporate structure. Their handbook is absolutely utopian: http://newcdn.flamehaus.com/Valve_Handbook_LowRes.pdf

Depends on what kind of economist, of course.

"the signature did not ring a bell (it read “Gabe Newell, Valve, Seattle, WA USA”)" Well, sir, I would shit my pants for a week if I got that e-mail.

This is going to be mad interesting, in-game economies have fascinated me since I heard about Second Life and gold farming in WOW. Will be really interested to see what eh comes up with.

@StressedOutCat said:

Step one: in game Hats!

Step two: ......

Step three: Profit!

Step two is "more hats" btw.

At least now someone knows to count up to three at Valve.

A psychologist that is just wacky.

Planey Money? Not marketplace? Listen to Marketplace.

ahhhasldfjlaskdjflasdj Half-Life 3 akfjsladkjflasdjfasdflkash

/frustration

It is interesting that Valve hired an economist to make their virtual economies work. It could also be a way for Valve to get more money out people without having to release another Half Life game.

An economist for Dota2? I like Valve more and more from now on.

Hang on, they are hiring a Greek economist?

@Patman99: It would raise alarms if you're ignorant about who Yanis is. Gabe apparently reads his blog, and is aware of where he stands on issues and monetary policy. It's not an unusual background for an economist at all.

@dinex: I just meant that his background is funny for a supposed renowned economist. I am not saying he is bad or caused the Greek economic crisis, but just that his background is surprising for what he does. Obviously if you do your research it doesnt matter where he comes from, but to, as you put it, an ignorant person, it is still slightly surprising.

I dont expect the next great hockey player to come out of India, just like I didnt really expect a great economist to come out of Greece. Considering his country has plunged into a huge recession that could upset a large portion of the world, I would say it is pretty valid to not necessarily think that they have great economists there. Apparently they do. Unfortunately the Greek president should have listened better when this guy was his advisor.

@Patman99 said:

@dinex: I just meant that his background is funny for a supposed renowned economist. I am not saying he is bad or caused the Greek economic crisis, but just that his background is surprising for what he does. Obviously if you do your research it doesnt matter where he comes from, but to, as you put it, an ignorant person, it is still slightly surprising.

I dont expect the next great hockey player to come out of India, just like I didnt really expect a great economist to come out of Greece. Considering his country has plunged into a huge recession that could upset a large portion of the world, I would say it is pretty valid to not necessarily think that they have great economists there. Apparently they do. Unfortunately the Greek president should have listened better when this guy was his advisor.

Funny story: every nation in the Western world is feeling the effects of the financial crisis, and they all have economists. And let's not blame it all on the Greeks. They're one part of a global financial system that is proving increasingly rotten.

@Jokers_Wild: I was simply making an observation and then was jumped on for my supposed ignorance. I know that there is a widespread financial crisis but simply stating that this economist came from the most publicised country that is in a recession. He was also an advisor for the president of Greece who, more or less, drove them into the recession. It was an observation, nothing more, nothing less. In fact I have stated multiple times that he must be good at his job but is just a random location (at least to my mind) for a renowned economist to emerge. Regardless if the "Western world" is in a recession, Greece has been through the worst, at least from what I read. Never blamed the Greeks for anything. Simply their country has gone through a major recession. Something a country who has a great economist would not be expected to experience.

The guys who make EVE Online have had an economist on staff for years... I always thought that must be a crazy job, but I guess it's more necessary now adays.

Photoshopped pics of economist/spy much appreciated.

Woo! Planet Money shout out!

Good to see that they're smart enough to get help from a specialist....

Finally. They've had an open position for an economist for quite some time now.

@Jeaz:

LoL...I was thinking the same thing.