Paul Manwaring recently did an analysis of the economy of Team Fortress 2, calling it appropriately the “hat economy.” Including all the various elements that go into making items for the game, he puts the value somewhere around $22 million.
“There will be more items sold in the store, more promotional items, more unusual hats and many one off special items (such as earbuds) {link no longer active} to add to that total. Earbuds alone, once awarded to all Mac users, are valued at $20 each. Once again we have no details of numbers awarded, but the value of this single commodity will likely rest at over $1 million,” writes Manwaring. “At the end of the day, however, no matter how large TF2′s economy actually is, it stands as a testament to the potential of this market. Virtual economies are still untested. Whether it’s Zynga flailing on the stock market, or Chinese ’gold farming‘ horror stories, virtual economies do hit the headlines. Until the sheer weight of these operations start to become noticed, however, the broader picture will not emerge.”
Source: theonlinesociety.com