Noah Zhao-Wei

5+ years game economy analysis, background in behavioural economics, detailed breakdowns of monetisation systems across 50+ live-service titles

Noah Zhao-Wei came to gaming journalism through a background in behavioural economics, and he has never stopped applying that lens to the industry. He analyses free-to-play monetisation, battle-pass structures, gacha pull rates, premium-currency obfuscation, and the psychological techniques that turn players into payers. Noah does not oppose monetisation — he opposes dishonest monetisation, and his detailed breakdowns of exactly how much a 'free' game actually costs to play competitively have become required reading for informed consumers. He also covers the regulatory side of gaming, tracking loot-box legislation across different jurisdictions and analysing how publishers adapt their monetisation strategies in response to legal pressure.