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At last, a city-building game that allows for meaningful economic experimentation

We are all low-poly before God and the free market. Polynomics is about the latter case, though the distinction is far from precise. Slated for an initial release in early 2016, Polynomics is an economic simulator. You play as the federal government of an unnamed area, issuing a currency, collecting taxes, and enforcing laws. The non-player characters in this world, which might also be called citizens, are perfectly rational actors who seek to maximize their utility through each of their actions. The intersection of all these wants and needs with (your) government objectives can be a messy one, and Polynomics…

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Paul Krugman delivers punches and ripostes in an arcade-style news game

In light of the recent imposition of capital controls in Greece and the looming prospect of a Grexit, now seems like as good a time as any to talk about economists punching one another. He has the mien of a vituperative hobgoblin  Paul Krugman, the Nobel Prize-winning economist, New York Times columnist, and co-author of an excellent International Economics textbook (amongst others), has the mien of a vituperative hobgoblin. Judging by the picture next to his byline, he wants to punch someone in the face. (And considering the state of the economy, can you blame him?) Luckily for Krugman and…