Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Enough Is Enough Until It's Not Enough
Much of it comes down to the individual perception of wealth. Some of this is a
psychological factor. A number of studies have shown that once certain plateaus are
reached, people are satisfied. Interestingly, these plateaus are often in tiers (Figure
8.10). That is, people might be satisfied for some time at one tier so that the marginal
utility of additional wealth drops as it does in Figure 8.10. As that wealth increases
for a while, however, another perceived “level of wealth� is approached so that the
marginal utility increases rapidly once again.
FIGURE 8.10
As the value of a prize goes up, the marginal utility of each increase gets
smaller. As the value of a wager goes up, the marginal utility of each increase gets larger.
I can't provide firm figures on where these tiers are since they differ wildly
based on the cost of living, the mentality of the society, and obviously the current
value of the dollar. However, the function seems to be tied up in the perception of
lifestyle changes that could happen at those tiers.
If a lottery prize is less than $100, it might buy you a nice dinner for the family
—or a single AAA game title. It's not going to cause a significant lifestyle change,
however (unless you lock yourself in your house to play that AAA game 16 hours
per day for weeks on end… but I digress). Prizes in the hundreds of dollars are
intriguing because they could help you pay off some bills or buy a new next-gen
console. Prizes in the thousands get a little more fun, as do those in the tens of
thousands. At that point, people are beginning to think “new car,� for example.
However, those sums aren't going to put you on
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous
.
