Best Drjason Podcasts (2025)

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E39: Law & Economic Order, A Game Economist Investigation 1:10:08

18d ago1:10:08

1:10:08

Send us a text Pokémon's patent of spherical objects throwing of cartoon creatures threatens Palword's lifeblood, while Tim Sweeney has lifted, at least a percentage point, in total gaming GDP with its injunction success. How does Apple's rent-seeking rate change in the face of this ruling? Should Apple lower its rate to 15%, like it did in subscri…

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E38: Economics of Game Innovation & AI's Now Proof 39:25

1M ago39:25

39:25

Send us a text What is the GDP-maximizing set of copyright protections? 10 years? 5 years? None at all? Chris, Eric, and I debate the relevance of patents and copyright protections and the gains to network effects of knowledge. Does the "gentlemen's agreement" to avoid patent protections on game design help or hurt the industry? Chris talks about M…

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GEC BONUS EP: What's up at GDC 2025 (w/Charlie Hsu) 36:06

2M ago36:06

36:06

Send us a text Phillip & Eric navigate the strangely subdued landscape of GDC 2025, pondering if there really is such a thing as a free lunch. Chris dials in, wondering if his absence is secretly the key to Eric's roundtable success. They dissect the talks, the conference economics, the rise of mobile's respectability, and a guest in economy design…

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E37: Is Gaming Better Than Everyone at Experimentation? (w/Dr.Julian Runge) 1:11:34

3M ago1:11:34

1:11:34

Send us a text The best tech firm experimentation seems to offer thousands of button color experiments. Dr.Runge has a better approach, which changes at every game development stage. We debate gaming's broken relationship with science, the proper experimentation framework, and how much you'd bet on yourself to complete Cousera assignments. Read Dr.…

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E36: Pokémon Pocket's Gimped Trading and Matthew Ball's State of Gaming 1:13:44

4M ago1:13:44

1:13:44

Send us a text Pokémon TCG Pocket is one of a handful of games to implement P2P trading on mobile. Yet it sucks. On purpose. As @Eric explains, their game economy needs high sinks to combat hourly sourcing of card packs. Without the nearly 80% trading tax, prices would tend toward $0. However, that's secondary to a UX that is so gimped it makes Fri…

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E35: In Defense of Loot Boxes (w/Dr. Matthew McCaffrey) 1:22:32

4M ago1:22:32

1:22:32

Send us a text Loot boxes have all the markings of a moral panic. Dr.McCaffrey reviewed the emerging literature, and like the research on video game violence, it's destined for methodological malfunction. We discuss why everything isn't a loot box, the apathetic interest of economists in games, what George R.R. Martin's economic equilibrium teaches…

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E34: A Theory of Optimal Economic Balance 1:20:45

6M ago1:20:45

1:20:45

Send us a text Is game balance bullshit? The crew goes toe-to-toe debating Sirland’s Don't Use Math in Balancing Games. Chris emerges from his Roblox hibernation, Eric tells us Street Fighter is more accessible than platform fighters, and Phil goes bonanza for All in Hole.By Phillip Black

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E33: Halo's Economist & Player Price Experiment Complaints? (w/Dr.Jason Arentz) 1:10:21

7M ago1:10:21

1:10:21

Send us a text Anti-cheat economics, web3 property rights, Deirdre McCloskey, institutional incentives, Halo UGC, and the if single player games have a natural advantage outside the West. Oh my. Dr.Jason Arentz finally guest stars, and he's bringing the econ juice, finally striking a 50/50 web3 split on the case. Zynga Car Price Experiment: https:/…

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E32: Should more firms be like Valve? (w/Dr. Peter Klein) 55:56

7M ago55:56

55:56

Send us a text Economist Dr.Peter G. Klein joins the cast to discuss Why Managers Matter: The Perils of the Bossless Company. We debate Valve's organizational structure, the evidence for manager economic impact, and Sweden's success. Read more about Dr.Klein here and find his book below: https://hankamer.baylor.edu/person/peter-g-klein-0 https://ww…

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Life On Mission | Week 2 1:02:58

7M ago1:02:58

1:02:58

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Life On Mission | Week 1 54:57

8M ago54:57

54:57

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E31: Potty Mouth & "That" Levitt-King Paper 1:11:19

8M ago1:11:19

1:11:19

Send us a text Phil and Chris return from Asia, and it's gachupon from here in-out. Eric talks vertical progression in single player games, while Chris actually agree on the future of web 2.5. The economics of unions weigh heavily: within or between professions? The crew finally makes it to THE KING PAPER; Eric and Chris make surprising revalation.…

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E30: The Economics of Game Development 1:00:54

9M ago1:00:54

1:00:54

Send us a text Eric develops an economic model to explore or exploit game development decisions, while Phil wants a block-grant style gate process to align incentives. Chris is back at Marvel Snap, and boogies with some new social casino mechanics. The team reviews a new Call of Duty matchmaking paper with some surprising and revealing data...…

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E29: Can a Stick of Butter Keep You Sober? 1:17:05

11M ago1:17:05

1:17:05

Send us a text Can a stick of butter keep you sober during high-stakes diplomatic meetings? Eric is sure to tell us. Chris provides a compelling theory for the death of mods, while Phil undergoes a Supercell detox after analyzing Squad Buster's launch. The crew gets back in touch with their microeconomic selves and looks at one of the most interest…

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E28: B-A-N-A-N-A! 58:16

11M ago58:16

58:16

Send us a text Play to earn hits Steam, and the crew is here to dissect the phenomenon. Why now, and why bananas? Phil is back into the economics of social casinos, while Chris develops a progression model for Darts. Eric and Phil debate the externalities of bots, while Chris solves for equilibrium.By Phillip Black

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E27: The Best Game Economy of All-Time 1:04:20

12M ago1:04:20

1:04:20

Send us a text The crew convenes to square off on....what counts as a store of value? Is Match3 the best game economy of all time? Is progression a wage rate? Will Chris buy digital Gloomhaven? Was Eric among the five people who watched Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire? Will Phil get the crew on a regular posting schedule? E27 IS HERE!…

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E26: Price Theorists Battle Behavioralists for Marvel Snap 1:05:42

1y ago1:05:42

1:05:42

Send us a text Phil gets Eric pilled into a trio of roguelikes, where we prime the pump for Squad Buster's eventual shake-up of the genre. Chris ran another NFT sale and lived to tell about it. We Snap our fingers for Eric's take on Snap's doubling cube mechanic. Should all ranked systems use it? Should the bet limit expand to infinity? We conclude…

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E25: The Veblen Goods Model That Explains Web3 (w/Dr.Sam Rosen) 56:35

1y ago56:35

56:35

Send us a text Dr. Sam Rosen of Temple University finally unleashes the Veblen Goods model for which every Game Economist yearns. We discuss: Why don't sold-out artists raise ticket prices? Why do NFT projects go boom or bust? Should auction-based goods mask demand for their products? What types of Pokémon are optimal for collecting in Go? Dr.Rosen…

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E24: Tragedy of the UGC Commons & Gold Bugs 1:03:43

1y ago1:03:43

1:03:43

Send us a text Eric reminds us that The Wizard of Oz is a heated monetarism debate, while Chris goes six layers deep on enforcing royalties. Phil thinks Warzone Mobile is a good executive Powerpoint math muddled with poor execution, but good economics secured him Taylor Swift tickets. Subscribe to Chris' Substack and Eric's Substack Limit Break's N…

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GEC BONUS EP: What's up at GDC 2024? 49:46

1y ago49:46

49:46

Send us a text Eric Guan on the economics of the video game job market Phillip Black on why big gaming co. employees are frustrated Dr. Julian Runge build a theory of persona and personalization in an Uber to the airport Christopher Kaczmarczyk-Smith solve for the missing web3 UGC game Plus, a GEC After Hours on the state of San Francisco.…

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Miracles | Week 3 38:45

1y ago38:45

38:45

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E23: Four Game Economists Walk into a Social Casino (w/Dr.Matt Melnyk) 51:44

1y ago51:44

51:44

Send us a text Matthew Melnyk joins the crew to finally tell us what's social about social casinos. Eric discovers a genre outside of CCG roguelikes...Psych, this time, it's Cobalt Core. Chris bends the supply survey backward to explain progression windfalls, while Phil tries to connect the dots between leaderboards and auction systems.…

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Miracles | Week 1 46:31

1y ago46:31

46:31

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What Lies Ahead | Week 4 47:52

1y ago47:52

47:52

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What Lies Ahead | Week 3 47:56

1y ago47:56

47:56

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What Lies Ahead | Week 2 40:19

1y ago40:19

40:19

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E22: Airdropping The Missing Web3 Palworld Take 1:14:42

1+ y ago1:14:42

1:14:42

Send us a text No Palword take is too late; something is not lost on the Game Economist Cast crew. Eric beguiles us with Cassette Beasts' analysis, while Chris reminds us of web3's oft-forgotten but newly popular Airdrop mechanics. Bonk? Phil can't get over the post-COVID decline in weekly gaming hours, but Eric cooks on a theory that a growing lei…

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What Lies Ahead 40:01

1+ y ago40:01

40:01

In this sermon Pastor Jason opens up our new series by talking about our "Why."

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E21: Subs, Doms, Surprise, and Suspense 1:07:26

1+ y ago1:07:26

1:07:26

Send us a text Eric starts 2024 with a new paper on League of Legends published by leading researchers. Is there an optimal amount of excitement in matches, and if so, where is it? Chris returns from Italy, and holy cannoli, did he have a "time" while Phil laments subscription-based pricing as the antithesis of game monetization. The crew agrees to…

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E20: Game Inflation is Misunderstood 1:04:03

1+ y ago1:04:03

1:04:03

Send us a text Inflation is a wild word, with everyone playing fast and loose with the definition of in-game economies. Eric isn't convinced inflation is the evil Friedman claims it is, while Chris defends the honor of game tokens from Phil's stablecoin inquisition. The crew debates the meaning of game inflation: in what units and for whom? The ans…

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E19: Why Doesn't Apple or Steam Use Regional Pricing? (w/Bill Grosso) 1:04:47

1+ y ago1:04:47

1:04:47

Send us a text Price discrimination is the economist "duh," yet few firms engage in the *welfare* enhancing practice. What's with that? Dr. Bill Grosso, CEO of Game Data Pros, joins the crew to tell us that sometimes it's just about more columns in the database... We cover his efforts to build price personalization at scale, community pushback, the…

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E18: Internet Spaceships Are Serious Business (w/Dr.Eyjolfur Gudmundsson) 1:07:39

1+ y ago1:07:39

1:07:39

Send us a text It's finally here...the EVE episode. The crew speaks to one of the world's first Game Economist, Dr.Gudmundsson, who helped manage and advise on one of gaming's most durable and well-known game economies...ever. We cover the origin of E.V.E. (a simulation!?), his biggest wins at CCP, the role of game economists, and if crypto has a f…

1
E17: Regressions, Gin Rummy, and a VERY Special Guest (w/David Nelson) 1:15:46

1+ y ago1:15:46

1:15:46

Send us a text Somehow, the cast wrings another guest, David Nelson, the former VP of Experimentation at King. Christopher Kaczmarczyk-Smith runs a regression on negative price, while Eric Guan explains the economic dynamics of rewarded video - bots and all. The crew debates how to solve the F-99 monetization problem and checks out what the NEW Exp…

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Why We Give | Week 1 51:42

1+ y ago51:42

51:42

In this sermon Pastor Jason recaps our missions trip to El Salvador and why we give, both of our time, our money, and our talent.

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E16: Should Match-3 Players Choose Their Difficulty? (w/Dr.Julian Runge) 1:19:55

1+ y ago1:19:55

1:19:55

Send us a text You won’t want to miss this episode of Game Economist Cast. Guest! Finally! Dr.Julian Runge is here to add some much-needed seasoning to the regular crew, bringing the takes. We discuss the role of art, science, and academia, analytic organization structures, the role of flow in retention, the role of sales versus personalization, an…

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E15: Video Game Monetary Policy Real Talk 1:16:42

1+ y ago1:16:42

1:16:42

Send us a text Chris wants to close the loop on game economies, while Eric compares Pikmin to Marx's Labor Theory of Value. Phil thinks Hawked is the next evolution of extraction shooter but doesn't understand why Indiana Jones needs to be involved. The American Time Use Survey is in, and... surprise, the crew plays Magic but can't decide to dust o…

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E14: Hayekian Emergent Gameplay & Reddit Gone Wild 1:21:50

1+ y ago1:21:50

1:21:50

Send us a text Chris beguiles us with tales of Disc Golf, while Eric describes, in detail, the "fully modeled genitalia" of Baldur's Gate 3. Phil is too busy brushing up his Redditor voice which will surely get him canceled. The crew laments the declining utility of cosmetic economies but doubles down on the mechanics of emergent gameplay.…

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As One | Week 1 40:31

2y ago40:31

40:31

In this Sermon Pastor Jason introduces his next sermon series, As One.

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E13: Rank Inflation, Chris' New KPI, and Defending the Indefensible 1:09:52

2y ago1:09:52

1:09:52

Send us a text Eric brings us to the streets of Vegas for EVO while Phil finds solace in another hypercasual hit. Chris has a new metric for web3, and the crew laments inflation: it got ranked systems. The crew debates taking a bullet for millionaire execs who desperately need the help.By Phillip Black

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Loving All In 38:37

2y ago38:37

38:37

In this sermon series finale Pasotr Jason focuses in Matthew 22 : 37-39, and what it means for us to love God with All of ourselves, and to love our neighbor in the same way.

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How to Love Someone Different Than You 43:51

2y ago43:51

43:51

In this powerful sermon Pastor Jason outlines the way that God allows us to love those that are unlike us.

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Pastor Leon Lamoy 38:41

2y ago38:41

38:41

In this sermon pastor Leon talks about loving our neighbor by extending God's love to them in the simplest and most meaningful of ways.

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10 Commandments of Love 44:26

2y ago44:26

44:26

In this sermon Pastor Jason dives into the ten commandments as God's gift of love to us, and how they can be effectively sumamrized into the focus of this sermon series, Loving God, and Loving People.

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E12: Bots, Battlebit, Brawl Stars, and Battlestar Galactica 1:14:29

2y ago1:14:29

1:14:29

Send us a text Chris takes another swing at mid-2010 gaming with an update on his Brawl Stars experience. Eric takes us to Vietnam for League of Legends game patching while Phil laments the very slow, not-so-fast F2P Revolution. Battlebit made waves as a low-poly indie shooter at $15 -- should they have gone free-to-play? [1] Battlebit utilizes Low…

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E11: Game Economist's Creed Meets Midwest Web3 Farming 1:11:26

2y ago1:11:26

1:11:26

Send us a text The crew celebrates July 4th with a travel mishap, poor driving, and a lack of Sam Adams. Eric chooses Guile to explain Street Fighters' live service attempt, while Phil demands a blood oath from the crew. Chris is glued to ads and won't let go.By Phillip Black

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Love Isn't a Game 44:12

2y ago44:12

44:12

In this Sermon Pastor Jason outline's God's love for us in the way that he rescues, rebukes, and redeems us.

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E10: Monetizing Reddit, Fortnite Into The Bloodstream, & Game Thesis 1:07:51

2y ago1:07:51

1:07:51

Send us a text Chris discovers a small indie title called Fortnite, Eric throws salt on Diablo's big numbers, while Phil peddles his Game Thesis. The group tries to understand Reddit monetization while Phil tallies another win for the supply-siders. Talked about links: Diablo Esquire Exposé Reddit drama unfolded…