Understanding Virtual Currencies in Video Games: A Review

This paper presents a review of the status of currencies in video games. The business of video games is a multibillion dollar industry and its internal economy design is an important field to investigate. In this study we have distinguished virtual currencies in terms of game mechanics and virtual currency schema and we have examined 11 games that have used virtual currencies in a significant way and have provided insight for game designers on internal game economy by showing tangible examples of game mechanics presented in our model.