I have to admit, having attended Blizzcon in 2010, I hadn't really sat in on any of the panels, or the game demo as I figured "heck, it's Diablo, I'll just pick it up, and click things to death". When this info released, I admit, I was fired up. Then I started to read some of the information and commentary surrounding the RMAH and was surprised to see a large community base upset with this decision, this is in fact what prompted me to start up this Blog.
My perspective is that Blizzard has decided to become Amsterdam. Here is an artist's rendition
If you're wondering what the real Amsterdam flag looks like, find it here
(and yes, I find it hilarious that it is a triple X)
To clarify, what Blizzard has done is essentially take a process, which is considered against the terms of use, realized it is happening anyway, and has decided to legitimize and tax it. This may seem like a very foreign concept to a lot of Americans as, historically, the country has had a policy of simply putting harsh enforcements in place to deter individuals. I give you Marijuana, Prohibition and Fornication laws, to name a few. So for a nation that is not overly familiar with the concept, here's a brief snapshot of how, in theory, it is supposed to work, under legalization and taxation, the government can:
A: Control quality
B: Improve product
C: Provide a safe environment to participate
D: Generate revenue
to name a few.
Some people believe that Blizzard is hiding behind this sort of mentality to justify what they call "Another way for Blizzard to push a dynamic payment model". To those individuals, I would like to point out the following. In World of Warcraft, Susan Express messaged me on a daily basis while I was online. This chick really got around, but what you typically noticed was that the prices of these gold farmers was relatively stable between competition, at what some would consider relatively high prices. The reason these prices were high was due to the issue of the infrastructure to run these farming groups, and the risk involved in the transactions. If you considered that the entire player base would have been able to buy and sell gold (like when IGXE was doing well.) then you would imagine the price would have dropped dramatically. IGXE was a sort of cartel that was able to keep prices up, but an open market economy will have prices which are much more fair. Wouldn't you rather be in a economy where the prices are fixed by the market, and the individuals who provide you a great gaming experience are provided additional funding to assist in the ongoing improvement of their products?
Other's have discussed the issue that "Someone should not be able to walk into the game and buy awesome gear and rule". Well, my friends, this already happens, and really, how does it affect your experience? Some people may argue that it will affect PVP but we the Hardcore should know that people who buy equipment are typically not as good.
All this being said, I'm sure you've gathered by now that I'm in favour of the new system. My primary point is that it allows player to player based trading. I have no problem with spending my Sunday afternoon playing the game to find an item I don't need and sell it to an individual who may have 3 kids and enjoys the game, but simply does not have a lot of free time to spend hunting down items.
Will I buy items? I don't think so. Will I sell items, well, I'll try. Will it be a success? Well, one never knows. Only time will tell.
Recently, one of my old haunts, IncGamers, posted a podcast about both sides of the argument, if you've got the 50ish minutes to listen to the discussion, it's very civil and feel both sides articulate their points well.
So, now that the intro and the politics are out of the way, you're probably wondering where to go from here.
For now, I'll be posting news and information for you to review and we'll speculate together. I hope to deliver a daily blog for the community, and if there's a topic out there you would like me to comment on, please post it in the comments section.
