MATHEMATICAL MODELING IN THE DESIGN OF AN IN-GAME ITEM DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM IN THE VIRTUAL ECONOMY OF AN ONLINE PROJECT

Figurov Maxim Olegovich, Mishchuk Bogdan Rostislavovich

Building a successfully functioning virtual economy in MMO (massively multiplayer online projects) is currently the dominant task for most developers in the video game industry around the world. The continuous movement of digital assets within the virtual economic system ensures the regularity and stability of creating additional sources of income for developers, as well as expanding the range of opportunities for investing player's time and resources. As a rule, the main economic value among players is represented by various virtual items that can be obtained during the game. However, if the system is not balanced in the best way, this can lead to inflation and devaluation of in-game entities, which subsequently leads to the collapse of the virtual economy and a massive outflow of players from the project. Therefore, in order to keep the player engagement rate at a sufficiently high level, developers need to correctly balance the sources of virtual entities for players. This article discusses the use of mathematical modeling in the development of an economic model of an online multiplayer project that is under development. Based on the results of the study, an economic model has been developed for playing in different in-game locations, and a conclusion has been made about its effectiveness within the framework of the virtual economy system being developed.

Keywords:virtual economy, economic models, normal distribution, mathematical functions, artificial intelligence