The Planet Money Game: Test our prototype

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• The core game mechanic for the Planet Money game was discovered during an impromptu testing session inspired by the economic concept of the 'Market for Lemons,' which focuses on asymmetric information.  Copied to clipboard!
• The development process involved extensive prototyping with Exploding Kittens, revealing that a fun, engaging mechanic is prioritized over immediately simulating complex economic outcomes, like a market collapse.  Copied to clipboard!
• The final prototype tested with consultant Jamie Wolansky showed promise because its core mechanic was novel and mass-market friendly, despite the need for further refinement on theme and naming.  Copied to clipboard!

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Game Development Partnership Kickoff

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(00:00:16)

• Key Takeaway: The Planet Money team partnered with Exploding Kittens to transform economic ideas into a playable game, acknowledging the difficulty of balancing education and entertainment.
• Summary: The episode opens by setting the stage for the creation of the Planet Money game in partnership with Exploding Kittens. The goal is to design a game filled with economics that is highly entertaining and avoids feeling like schoolwork. The initial step involved the Planet Money team submitting economic concepts for game development consideration.

Pitching Economic Game Concepts

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(00:01:16)

• Key Takeaway: The Planet Money team pitched 17 economic concepts to Exploding Kittens, with ideas ranging from Elves planning retirement to Moral Hazard and Keeping Up with the Joneses.
• Summary: The team presented numerous economic themes to their partners, who provided immediate feedback on viability. Concepts like compound interest and Moral Hazard received some positive response, while others were dismissed for lacking replay value or feeling too much like school. Exploding Kittens noted that the process often requires finding a strong theme to match a gameplay mechanic, or vice versa.

Discovery of Core Mechanic

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(00:09:11)

• Key Takeaway: The ‘Market for Lemons’ concept, dealing with asymmetric information, was the specific economic idea that sparked the core gameplay mechanic for the Planet Money game.
• Summary: Exploding Kittens became excited about the ‘Market for Lemons,’ an economic paper by George Akerloff concerning unequal information between buyers and sellers. The initial testing of this concept revealed a basic mechanic involving a seller proposing a deal based on hidden information (good or bad cards) and a buyer deciding whether to accept or reverse it. This moment of mechanical discovery was captured on tape and marked a breakthrough.

Refining the Asymmetric Information Mechanic

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(00:17:40)

• Key Takeaway: Early prototypes were deemed too simplistic (pure bluffing), but a crucial tweak—having the seller reveal one card in the proposed deal—made the mechanic feel like a true economics game.
• Summary: Initial prototypes of the mechanic were criticized for being too much like simple bluffing, lacking the nuance of real-world asymmetric information problems. After several iterations, the key change involved the seller revealing one card in the deal to the buyer, providing partial information. This small adjustment significantly enhanced the feeling of playing out the economic principle.

Manufacturing Constraints and Game Length

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(00:22:58)

• Key Takeaway: Game manufacturing realities dictate keeping costs low, favoring all-paper components to maintain a target retail price point of $20 to $25, and optimizing gameplay length to 15-20 minutes.
• Summary: Feedback on suggestions like adding plastic coins was tempered by manufacturing costs; Exploding Kittens aims for an all-paper game to maximize profit margins at mass-market retail prices. Furthermore, the optimal game length for maximum entertainment and satisfaction is targeted at 15 to 20 minutes, as longer games may not appeal to the target audience.

Playtesting and Final Prototype Verdict

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(00:30:07)

• Key Takeaway: Game consultant Jamie Wolansky validated the prototype, noting its unique mechanic was exciting for gamers and mass-friendly enough for big box retailers.
• Summary: The team brought the latest prototype to Jamie Wolansky, who specializes in getting games onto major retail shelves like Target. She confirmed the game possessed a novel mechanic that would excite gamers and was simple enough for casual players. The next critical steps identified were finalizing the theme/artwork and selecting a compelling title.

Call for Listener Playtesting

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(00:36:05)

• Key Takeaway: Listeners are immediately tasked with playtesting the downloadable prototype to help debug the game over the next month, culminating in a virtual AMA event on November 1st.
• Summary: The Planet Money game prototype is immediately available for download at planetmoneygame.com for a large-scale playtest. Listeners are asked to print, cut out, and play the game to provide feedback during a month-long debugging period. A virtual AMA event featuring the hosts and Exploding Kittens co-founder Elon Lee is scheduled for November 1st.