The Economics Of Gender In Everquest

Obscure Economist writes "The Social Science Research Network has just posted a new paper of mine that follows up on some issues from a previous paper I wrote about MMORPG Everquest's economy. The new paper asks: If two equivalent avatars were being offered for sale, and the only difference was that one was male and the other female, which one would have the higher price? As it turns out, female avatars sell for about 10 percent less than male avatars, holding all other characteristics equal. Most gamers are men, so this seems to suggest that men do not like being treated like women. Of course, just why that is, and what it might mean in a broader context, is open to debate."

Comments

seems obvious

[Wonda]

female chars get given all kinds of stuff, so it is easier to get them to the same level, they should be cheaper! and wow, they are, what a surprise.

Actually...

[MrKinkade]

... quite a fair few blokes in online games like EQ UO et al play female characters. Female characters get treated better and tend to get away with a lot more. You will find it a lot easier to get help from somebody if you have a female avatar than if you had a male one.

Some people (including ones I know) use this to exploit other gamers. But, talking about sold accounts is a little different. If you are buying a well developed character you wouldn't likely need to exploit the female avatar to further your character developement or loot whoring.

If I used female character I would have to play a lesbian role :P

And this relates to real life how?

[Guppy06]

Given what most male EQ players look like, do you really want to look like a woman? When it comes to relations with the opposite sex, most of them resemble a certain Muppet (WO-MAN! WO-MAN!).

With that being said, though, I fail to see how this relates to real life any. EQ players aren't exactly a statistical cross-section of society (or even gamer society).

Not a cross-section?

[Farscry]

Granted, the playerbase of EQ isn't as varied as, say, the viewerbase of movies in America or something. However, as far as games go, EQ has a surprisingly varied userbase for a computer game.

Like most computer games, the playerbase is heavily skewed towards the young male student demographic, but also incorporates a more varied cross-section of gamers than most computer games (especially single-player ones). I guarantee you'll find more variety in the player base of EQ than in Counter-Strike or UT2K3. (not bashing those games; they're well-made and enjoyable)

There's also an interesting essay about men and women on the site I've linked to.

As for your Muppet comparison, I'd wager that it's really just the vocal and annoying minority that stand out to give such a bad impression, much like how that one customer who just rips you a new one will ruin your day and stand out more in your mind than the 20 pleasant customers you dealt with.

Then again, I suppose it's just more sensational to rip on EQ gamers with your Animal-like chant of "LO-SER! LO-SER!". You'd fit in at the New York Times, sir.

Legal disclaimer: I play EQ, am a single male in a healthy relationship, earn a decent living, and tend to be online less than most people sit in front of their football or NASCAR (only a handful of hours each week).