Strategic timing of entry : evidence from video games

This paper investigates how video game publishers’ choice of game release date is affected by the expected level of competition within the game’s product niche. We identify game niches by genre, age-appropriateness, a four week window cohort, publisher and console system. Our analysis is based on two different video game data sets, one based on industry sales data and the other featuring extensive consumer usage information. We show that consumer substitution across games is stronger within most of the dimensions describing product niches. Sales volumes decay quickly after the opening weekend, so at any point in time, a niche will typically be served by few current titles. Thus, publishers have incentives to avoid releasing during periods of fierce intra-niche competition. We show that games are more likely to be released so as to avoid weeks when their niche is relatively well served

Understanding the effects of violent video games on violent crime

Psychological studies invariably find a positive relationship between violent video game play and aggression. However, these studies cannot account for either aggressive effects of alternative activities video game playing substitutes for or the possible selection of relatively violent people into playing violent video games. That is, they lack external validity. We investigate the relationship between the prevalence of violent video games and violent crimes. Our results are consistent with two opposing effects. First, they support the behavioral effects as in the psychological studies. Second, they suggest a larger voluntary incapacitation effect in which playing either violent or non-violent games decrease crimes. Overall, violent video games lead to decreases in violent crime. --Video Games,Violence,Crime

Susceptibility and influence in social media word-of-mouth

Peer influence through word-of-mouth (WOM) plays an important role in many information systems but identification of causal effects is challenging. We identify causal WOM effects in the empirical setting of game adoption in a social network for gamers by exploiting differences in individuals’ networks. Friends of friends do not directly influence a focal user, so we use their characteristics to instrument for behavior of the focal user’s friends. We go beyond demonstrating a large and highly significant WOM effect and also assess moderating factors of the strength of the effect on the sender and receiver side. We find that users with the most influence on others tend to be better gamers, have larger social networks, but spend less time playing. Interestingly, these are also the users who are least susceptible to WOM effects

Rationalizing the E-Rate: The Effects of Subsidizing IT in Education

Starting in 1998, the E-Rate program has provided $2.25 billion to subsidize Internet access in schools and libraries serving low income populations in the US. I analyze the effect of E-Rate subsidies on educational outcomes for Texas high schools over the 1994-2003 time period. Consistent with previous economic analyses, I find few, if any, improvements in student achievements. I do find evidence that experienced teachers are reallocated within districts toward schools receiving E-Rate grants. I also find evidence that the pool of college entrance exam takers is affected by E-Rate grants such that relying on average scores could lead to incorrect conclusions

Residential Water Consumption: A Cross Country Analysis

Survey data from over 1,600 households in ten countries were used to analyse the determinants of residential water demand. Results show that in every country the price elasticity is negative and statistically significant. Households that do not have to pay for the water they use (volumetric water charges) consume about a third more water than similar households that do have to pay such charges. Consumers’ attitudes do not have a statistically significant effect on total water use, although they do increase the probability of households using some water saving behaviours. Volumetric water charges also have an impact on the adoption of water saving actions. Full-cost water pricing appears to be a highly effective instrument to manage residential water demand.water demand, water consumption, water pricing, Environmental Economics and Policy, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, C21, Q25, Q50,

Climatic variations on Mars: 2. Evolution of carbon dioxide atmosphere and polar caps

The long-term variations in the atmospheric pressure and the polar cap temperature of Mars resulting from the obliquity oscillations (presented by W. R. Ward, 1974) are discussed. In performing these calculations, the assumption is made that the atmosphere is in equilibrium with perennial CO_2 ice deposits at the north pole, as is proposed by R. B. Leighton and B. C. Murray (1966). If heat transport by the atmosphere is neglected, the temperature of CO_2 ice at the poles ranges from ∼130°K to ∼160°K, the corresponding atmospheric pressure rising from a few tenths of a millibar to ∼30 mbar, respectively. The neglect of atmospheric heat transport probably underestimates the peak pressure. Because the altitude of the south cap is ∼2 km higher than that of the north cap, CO_2 ice is unstable there and will migrate to the north cap at a rate ∼10 g/cm^2 yr, the implication being that the south residual cap is water ice. A simplified model of the annual polar caps and pressure fluctuations is also presented. This indicates that when the obliquity is at its maximum, the annual caps may be greatly enlarged in both mass and maximum coverage. The modifications introduced by including significant atmospheric heat transport are then discussed. Finally, the implications of different past climatic conditions on the mechanism of eolian erosion are briefly considered

Sobre espaços, turistas e homelands imaginadas

Este texto explora relações entre espaços, identidades e processos turísticos. Baseado em trabalho de campo antropológico (realizado em Portugal, Malásia e Sin gapura), aborda-se o processo de construção social do espaço do bairro português de Malaca (1929-2009). Discute-se o processo de apropriação social do bairro por várias categorias de pessoas e argumenta-se que, desde a sua produção colonial à sua reapro priação contemporânea, coexiste uma retórica de nostalgia empacotada subjacente aos usos do espaço