Back in 2008 mineral prices in EVE online reached an artificial bottleneck that the developers had not foreseen. The problem was fixed soon after it was recognized, but the story itself highlights how interconnected artificial economies can become.

There are some basic gameplay aspects that need to be explained before I can proceed. First of all most of the goods in EVE online that players use are produced by other players. These goods are constructed using 8 basic mineral types. The minerals can be sold on markets just like any other good, and their prices tend to dictate the costs of all player made goods in EVE. The most common mineral type is named Tritanium. It is required for the construction of just about all goods, and it is traded in large quantities everywhere in the EVE universe. Continue reading →