Possible Diablo 3 Auction House Issues

I read an interesting article today titled “10 Unforseen Consequences of the RMAH” and I thought I’d take the time to respond to each concern as I disagree with most and will cover more of this in my upcoming d3 ah guide which will be available once the game launches.

1. Money Laundering.

While there may be a few isolated incidents, I don’t feel that money laundering will be a big issue for the Diablo 3 auction house as it has not occurred in mass scale in other online titles where an RM AH exists (such as Second Life, Eve Online). One can also look to online poker and see that while there has on occasion been a money laundering incident, it’s very rare. Blizzard will no doubt have already given this much thought.

2. Lawsuits of Purchases Made by Misclicking.

We’re yet to know if any purchases have a cooling off period or if all sales are final but it’s fair to state that misclicks won’t be a legitimate excuse when purchasing as the UI simply won’t allow players to make such a mistake.

3. Account Theft Leading to Jail Time for Stealing Real Money.

Account theft is nothing new and because online games are available to players across the globe, the risk of jail time is incredibly small. In fact, I don’t know of any instances where a player has been jailed due to account theft. Also, account theft is often perpetrated by gold farmers in countries such as China, making it extremely difficult to prosecute. Blizzard is pushing preventative measures such as the authenticator to thwart such account theft attempts.

4. Needing a 1099 from Blizzard Activision for RMAH Earnings.

Needing to declare income from video games is hardly a problem; if you’re making such a large amount of money buying and selling in virtual markets, this is an indicator of player success! Most gamers won’t make any more and therefore won’t need to submit a 1099. It’s also important to note that many players are not from America.

5. Griefing During Multi-Player (PVE) Leading to Lawsuits.

Blizzard has always informed players that the game experience can and will change when playing online. Griefing is simply part and parcel of playing the game and there has yet to be any lawsuit which has set a precedent for such in-game behavior.

6. Lawsuits Over Nerfing of Content and Loot Values

Just like 5., there are no records of players successfully suing a game publisher for changing game content. Loot values will be determined by the market and are sure to change in price over time in both a positive and negative fashion. Furthermore, engaging in the RM AH isn’t necessary to play the game.

7. Having to Track RMAH Fees and Investments as Tax Write Offs.

Going back to 4., if a player has a tax problem due to their profits from the RMAH, it’s likely they are a successful AH trader and making money is rarely a problem for anyone.

8. An Army of Terrible Diablo 3 Guides (This was a given, but thankfully you will have Diablo 3 Gold Secrets!).

Gold guides have been available for more games than just Diablo 3. World of Warcraft is well known for having some great gold guides and some very bad ones but at the end of the day, it is up to the discerning player to decide if the ebook they have purchased is of any real value. Most ebooks do contribute something positive to the playerbase.

9. Foreign Governments Outlawing the Game (Could happen already in South Korea!).

Blizzard are sure to make changes to the content of the game (regionalization) in order to sell to such a large market in South Korea and will be expected to abide by any laws. This is the same for any game company and not just Blizzard.

10. Parents Rejecting Credit Card Charges Made by Their Children.

Before you can buy/sell on the real money auction house in Diablo 3, you will need to accept the terms and conditions which state that Blizzard is not responsible for purchases made by children unbeknownst to their parents. Parents will need to take an active role in monitoring their credit card if they decide to allow their children to make purchases and Blizzard are sure to give fair warning of the risks involved before any first purchase can be made.