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Non-monetary economic exchange

As explained in Data for All

A non-monetary economic exchange is a transfer of value in which goods, services, access, or information are exchanged without direct payment in money.

A game can be free of money without being free of cost. You may exchange your name, age, email address, location, and activity data for access. Everyday play can therefore become an economic exchange in which information, rather than cash, supplies the value. section 3.5.3

A game paid for with data

Fishing and crafting produced items that players bartered for upgrades, furniture, or food. Meanwhile, the company observed how quickly they acted, how long they saved, and what they chose to trade. Those patterns revealed engagement and economic preferences, helping the company adjust the game to encourage longer sessions. section 3.5.3

Recognizing the exchange helps you:

  • Compare paying with money against paying with personal and behavioral data. section 3.5.3
  • Question why particular messages, advertisements, and offers reach you. section 3.5.3
  • Choose when, how, where, and how much information to provide. section 3.5.3

How Data for All covers it

How deep it goes
Demonstrates the exchange through a game and traces how gameplay data informs engagement and pricing decisions.
Examples
Uses fishing, crafting, bartering, upgrades, and observed play patterns in a free-to-play game.
What it assumes
Builds from familiar ideas of free games, payment, personal information, and everyday online activity.
What you can do after
Evaluate when and how much data to provide to companies, institutions, and government agencies.
How it connects
Connects data value with behavioral profiling, targeted advertising, privacy, and informed consent.
Cover of Data for All
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This explainer was generated by Manning's knowledge graph from the text of Data for All. The section links point to the parts of the book it draws on.