Master the Design of Game Systems & Economies
Become a highly valuable Game Designer. From fundamentals to advanced game economy simulations.
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Once módulos en formato vídeo
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Certificado Machinations.io
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En Castellano o Inglés
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Crafted for Game Designers
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+20 years of practical experience
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More than 10 hours of video
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Official Machinations Certification
Keeping players engaged over time takes more than great gameplay—it demands a solid economy.
At PlayValue.Pro, we’ve perfected a process to help you.
How we work
Keeping players engaged over time takes more than great gameplay, it demands a solid economy.
At PlayValue.Pro, we’ve perfected a process to help you.
We analyze your unique project and your audience in depth
We create a simulation of your game systems & economy
We define different human behaviors and test the systems for as many times as we need
Build your own prototypes and simulate different scenarios
The three pillars of systems & economy design
I. Connect mechanics, rewards, and progression
II. Describe your player's behavior
III. Simulate short, medium & long term progression
The course consists of 10 practical modules
1. Introduction
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Course overview
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The era of Games as a Service
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Systems fundamentals
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Economy fundamentals
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Where does player value come from?
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The limits of Excel / spreadsheets
2. Introduction to Machinations
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Creating a free account and usage limits
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Machinations interface
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Documentation and examples
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Basic components: Pools, Sources, Drains, Gates, and Converters
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Resource connectors, variables, and intervals
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Time controls: Play, Pause, and Reset
3. First Simulations
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Names and images
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Sim 1: Energy consumption
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Sim 2: Action and reward
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Sim 3: Progression
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Sim 4: Random quantities
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Introduction to Charts
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Displaying values in Charts
4. Sources and Drains
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How do I balance rewards for each action?
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What the player wants vs. what the business wants
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Sim 1: Gold Mine vs. Consumption
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Perceived value
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Pricing matrices in multi-resource economies
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Economy design in service of user experience
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Example of a sustainable economy in Machinations
5. Advanced Machinations
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Registers
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State Connectors
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Common simple formulas
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Defining variables
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Defining arrays
6. Character Leveling
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Step-by-step design and implementation of a leveling system with different progression curves
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The impact of each curve type on player experience
7. Trophies and Leagues in PvP
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Step-by-step design and implementation of a trophy system, promotions, and tier-based rewards
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Matchmaking systems (ELO)
8. Gacha and Upgrade Systems
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Step-by-step design and implementation of a random reward system with incremental upgrade requirements
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Duplicate management
9. Missions and Season Pass
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Step-by-step design and implementation of a missions system and season pass progression
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Best practices for reward distribution
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Deterministic, non-deterministic, and hybrid systems
10. Collection and Rarities
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Step-by-step design and implementation of a collectible system with multiple rarity tiers
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Rarities definitions
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Chances definition
Meet the instructor
I was born in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, in 1980, and kept pushing until I broke into the video game industry in 2005.
I’ve worked with companies such as Rovio, King (later acquired by Activision Blizzard and subsequently by Microsoft), Gameloft, and Social Point, contributing to games that have generated hundreds of millions in revenue.
I’ve also collaborated with universities including Ramon Llull, Blanquerna, and La Salle.
I’m driven by creating games and passionate about teaching.
This course is the result of decades designing for millions of players, and my commitment to sharing what I’ve learned.
Hi, I’m Ricardo Carretero Vila,
founder of PlayValue.Pro
Ricardo supported us with systems design, economic balancing, and tokenization for a new “upgrades” feature incorporating procedurally generated content driven by gacha mechanics.
He brought invaluable insight into economy-driven feature design and was instrumental in enabling us to simulate and calibrate complex content economies.
We strongly recommend him for projects involving gamified systems design, content economies, and gameplay tuning/balancing.
Rudy Saldivar
Product Owner at TOPPS
I’ve hired Ricardo and PlayValue for consulting services to support the launch of several projects I’ve been involved in, both directly and through entrepreneurship programs.
His deep expertise in game economy design was instrumental to the success and growth of these projects.
PlayValue also remains a key resource I turn to whenever I face challenges related to monetization, retention, and overall product performance.
Ivan Fernández-Lobos
Senior Consultant Games industry business development, strategic partnerships and events.
Thanks to Ricardo’s training—exceptionally clear, approachable, and professionally rigorous—I was able to deeply understand each concept and apply it with confidence. His teaching approach is accessible, supportive, and technically solid, making the learning experience both practical and inspiring.
With his guidance, I was able to fully develop in this discipline and can now apply it independently in my day-to-day work.
María García
Operations assistant, frontend developer and junior economy designer
These are the companies I’ve worked for or supported through design and mentorship services
Get a Machinations certification from an industry expert
*Certification is awarded based on the submitted exercises
Garantía de Satisfacción
You have 7 days to try the course.
If it doesn’t meet your expectations, you’ll receive a full refund.
No risk. Just learning.
Any questions?
We’re here to help.
When does will be available?
The course will be available by the end of 2026. If demand is high, I’ll do everything I can to accelerate the timeline.
Once you pre-register, you’ll get access as soon as the course is ready.
What language are the videos in?
All videos are recorded by me in English with additional subtitles in Spanish, French, German and Italian. If you require an additional language, send me a message to let me know.
Do I need prior experience?
Some technical aptitude and strong logical thinking are required, as Machinations is a complex tool. However, prior experience in the video game industry is not necessary.
What is the total duration of the course?
To get the most out of the course, I recommend dedicating one week to each of the 10 modules, completing all exercises over a total of 10 weeks.
I have more questions…
Fill out the form at the bottom of the page and fill the field with any question you may have.
Advance your career and become a high-value specialist in the video game industry
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Learn real methodologies used by leading companies in the industry
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Master Machinations.io and create your own systems and simulations
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Validate systems and resource balancing before investing in costly development
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Present your ideas visually and professionally to support decisions with clear, easy-to-understand data
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Become a high-value professional within your company
