Virtual Inflation under Control: Sustainable Mechanisms for Managing In-Game Economies (A Narrative Review of Case Studies and Literature)

The article examines virtual inflation in live-service game economies, specifically the persistent rise in in-game price levels driven by imbalances between resource creation and removal. Relevance stems from the operational pressure inflation places on progression pacing, market legitimacy, and monetization efficiency in free-to-play and hybrid models. Novelty lies in synthesizing recent case-based evidence with contemporary analytical methods to propose a compact, implementable control logic centered on measurable price indices and policy levers that preserve player utility. The study aims to identify sustainable mechanisms that restrain inflation without destabilizing payer behavior. To achieve this aim, a narrative review method is applied, combining comparative analysis of documented interventions with findings from recent literature on virtual economy modeling, market design, and balancing tools. Sources include developer patch documentation and economic reporting, platform fee specifications, analytics metric definitions, and peer-reviewed or academic work on virtual economy measurement and intervention design. The conclusion formulates operationally actionable implications for the economy and product teams working in U.S.-market live services.