Concerning "What it's Worth," I think the recommendations for the common man were really no help at all and some of the proposals put forward were rooted in VERY flawed premises. First, as for better advice for the common player who wants to preserve the value of his or her money, it would be much better to invest in widely traded commodities that have prices that have already bottomed out. Because the prices have already hit bottom, when inflation occurs (which it inevitably will) the value of one's investment will most likely increase or at least not decrease in value. As in the real world economy, as more money is created, those who keep their savings in that form gradually lose money. That is why in the real world, gold is the hedge of choice against inflation. It is widely used and accepted and it's supply cannot be changed easily (percentage-wise). A perfect example of such a product in runescape, maple logs, was designated by the author of the article. Please do not give up on being rich and maintaining your current wealth. Invest in commodities and secure your future. The proposal of instituting taxation to sop up the "excess" money in Runescape's economy almost made me want to puke. Governments throughout the world have introduced progressive tax systems and the more such systems follow the model put forward by Marx, the worse the economy becomes. A progressive tax, for that is what a tax based on higher rates for greater production/assets is, will most likely cause many high level players with a lot of money to just quit playing. I don't doubt the dedication of these players to the game, but for the tax system to take out enough "excess" money these players would be hit very hard - quite possibly hard enough to consider quitting. A better way to manage inflation would be to develop a new medium of exchange. Since infinite amounts of gold can be obtained from monsters and alching, Runescape gold, like the fiat currencies of current governments, does not hold its value well over time. If Jagex would develop some medium of exchange with an exchange rate to gold that would fluctuate based on the change in values (denominated in gold) from the inception of the currency of a number of basic items this would be an excellent way to protect players from inflation. Unlike commodities which may or may not sell, this new currency could be readily traded at any bank, or perhaps even just at the GE, either way, the liquidity would be easy to maintain. Also since this currency would have a value that would rise with inflation, it would act as the perfect shelter from inflation for the common player, or anyone with extra gold. Sorry this turned out so long. If anyone has any critiques please reply. I would be happy to elaborate further.
