Chapters * Title * Contents * Introduction * Place * System * Design * Using * Future * Bibliography
Sections
* Design * Two_Simple * Sell * MULE * MULEvsMarketPlace * Incentives * Trade_Dependence * Symmetric_Commodities * Illustrating_Externalities * Showing_The_Model
Illustrating Externalities: Pollution
After the third turn, players are given the option of producing their commodities more cheaply by polluting their surroundings.
Such pollution causes the colony's future production to drop somewhat, so the total cost to everyone of the pollution is
greater than the savings. Unless players spend moves to detect it, pollution is invisible--it makes its presence known only
through its effects.
MarketPlace's version of pollution is particularly problematic. Besides being invisible, it's also global in effect. The damage
it causes is irreversible. I wanted to make sure it was seen as a problem, and in real games it almost always is.
Greg Kimberly/gregkimb@gak.com