Quote from palathos
We can all be as certain as we like, that our particular perspective or view of economics is the correct way which the d3 cash AH will perform. Perhaps the details of the debate is not as important as how long the debate lasts. In the end, Blizzard must bend to the popular opinion if they want to make a successful game. So all of these predictions and applications of real world econ is a bit silly, since none of us are smart enough to predict how it will end up behaving in-game.
For some people it is as simple as, introducing a system which encourages using real money inside of a game is enough to dirty the sanctity of what it is to play a game to begin with. Are these people (myself included) wrong? No, so you can't tell them they are wrong by flexing your econ 101 muscles and telling them what idiots they are. On the flip side, the people who are in full support of the cash AH have every right to be. I just don't see how those people can be so confident in the success of a system which is still months from even having a chance to prove itself. Some of those in favor of the cash AH wisely recognize that the system is not guaranteed to work. However, many of these people go on to debate the subject as if there was no chance of failure/imbalance.
For some, the relative success of the cash AH is irrelevant. It is fairly hard to argue that we will be able to play the game using the gold AH exclusively and not gimp ourselves. I think we can all agree that we are more likely to see the best items, and more of them in the cash AH. This makes the people who prefer to "keep a game a game", feel pretty betrayed.
It is easy for some to blur the lines and abstract the concept of spending gold vs real cash, but for others, it is impossible for us to simply convert gold to real money to items without feeling as though the entire experience has been cheapened.
Bottom line, I say fight on for your own view no matter which side of the fence you are on. It is all we can do at this point, and it is the only way we can influence Blizzard to remove/keep/change the cash AH.
Absolutely, I kind of don't want it in the game but I really want to see how it will unfold/work out. I don't think it has ever been done before aside from Micro-payment game systems (which is slightly different, lets not go there). I will be extremely surprised/impressed if it works out nicely.
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http://diablo3.judgehype.com/
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Absolutely, I kind of don't want it in the game but I really want to see how it will unfold/work out. I don't think it has ever been done before aside from Micro-payment game systems (which is slightly different, lets not go there). I will be extremely surprised/impressed if it works out nicely.
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These all have effects on the D3 economy if RL money is tied to in game currency. Although it will not have a direct impact because things are more simple. There are no stocks or securities or security derivatives or leverage. But that does not exclude irrationality in the market place nor does it make a basic/simple market. When you tie something that exists in a virtual world to something so important in the Real World it has complex repercussions and a rational market place is hard to consider. Especially when it is so tied down to not just profiteering but the addiction of gaming. Utility is completely warped for the individual. Large groups of players may not be concerned with wether it is "worth it" or whether "it makes them a profit". We understand a basic market function because we make the assumption that the individual will act rationally because the medium of exchange has value, in D3 you have both a currency that has a Real World identity and now an in game identity. I don't see how it is going to be a simple market.
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Completely agree with your point here, but I just have to point out that markets don't always act rationally (in the large scale). I think what they are trying to do is give Gold in D3 more intrinsic value by pairing it with USD/EURO. I wonder what the effect of a fixed rate would have. Like many currencies in developing nations do in order to create stability.
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I don't really get what your saying but if you mean the worth to the individual then yes, I think this is fairly obvious? But if you mean to say that if you pay a 1000 then its value is 1000 is incorrect. And in regards to my post, I don't know how this relates - care to elaborate?
edit - I read it again and I think you may not understand the concept of inelastic demand... so before you point fingers...
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Yeah, we will all have to wait and see what happens, although I am fairly confident that companies will try and use all sorts of maneuvers. And I do agree that in a PERFECT market it will counter balance, like you mentioned earlier with less people paying the higher price, but unfortunately the world has yet to see an invisible hand.
George Soros is a prime example of someone who uses large sums of money to apply market pressure. Black Wedneseday was sort of England's fault as they refused to change interest rates - regardless, I get what you are saying.
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There certainly would be for inelastic markets. It happened in WoW. You can even pull of more common high demand items. Like Copper Bars in WoW (or wtv they were called).
And in RW markets there are far more external factors that are impossible to take in to account. In a more perfect market in D3, manipulation is far easier, because the outcome is far more foreseeable.
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Completely agree.
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There is a market price and to drive it up, reducing supply will work. It may not be so drastic as the example listed but regardless it is easily doable with a bit of money. If I am buying out the market at 10$ and I have to buy your one 900$ sword to keep the market price up it does not effect the avg. price so much if my volume is high, which I am guessing it would be. Even so if I wanted to retain market prices I would still be making a profit on your 900$ dollar sword. This increases YOUR gain for the sword, but it creates a very very messy economy.
Of course you wouldn't want to hold a manipulation for extended times but with MANY companies doing this, it can turn in to a very 'not so fun' environment. Market manipulation is abundant in the real world, in example it only takes an average 3 million USD to manipulate Sri Lankan markets, it is not just a problem with oil.
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I personally think, if Diablo is truly going for the gaming experience, they can do better than the RMAH.