Diablo 3 Lets You Make Real Money In-Game (Legally)

13 years ago

This has been going on in other games ever since 1998 (Ultima Online was the pioneer): players "farm" the game, obtain items and game currency, and sell it off-the-game for real money.

It's a multi-million business that's been taking place for over a decade in dozens of online games.

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Mike Bradson

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

This has been going on in other games ever since 1998 (Ultima Online was the pioneer): players "farm" the game, obtain items and game currency, and sell it off-the-game for real money.

It's a multi-million business that's been taking place for over a decade in dozens of online games.

I know, but this is the first time you can "legally" do it inside the game itself. Because of this I'm betting that players who were once wary of any kind of "item selling" before, might give it a try now since it's perfectly legal to do so.

The question is, how can we as IMers, profit from this?

Think of the keywords they would type in:

"make money d3 auction"
"how to make money diablo 3"

Etc.

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Anonymous Affiliate

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mike Bradson

I know, but this is the first time you can "legally" do it inside the game itself.

It is irrelevant whether it's "legally" approved by the game developer. The truth is that, endorsed or not, this practice has taken place in all previous games so from the IM'er point of view it's not going to be any different.

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WebPen

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

It is irrelevant whether it's "legally" approved by the game developer. The truth is that, endorsed or not, this practice has taken place in all previous games so from the IM'er point of view it's not going to be any different.

I think its different from both a IMer and gamer perspective.

As an IMer, I think making it more legal will attract more IMers and allow it to become more of a consistent, sustainable business. You don't have to worry about your account getting banned all the time.

For a gamer, this is a great way to turn their passion into $$$.

I think its great that Blizzard is doing this- too bad Diablo 3 is never gonna come out.

Blizzard's losing its touch IMO, but that's for a different forum.

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Aclizzy 13 years ago

If you happen to be both an internet marketer and a quality gamer, then consider this a window of opportunity. I remember back in the days, when i used to play multi player online games and the exchange rate was 1 million gold pieces to £5 real cash. Meanwhile I was making 60 million gold pieces on autopilot per hour using bots and investing all that money back into my characters attributes. Now imagine, if I had the knowledge i have to today back then . Obviously, there are plenty of Chinese farmers who are doing the same thing but the fact of the matter is there are million addicted players who would quite happily purchase money in order to increase their status on the game. Thus, when a virtual world is about to be created of which you have sufficient understanding. Then it's potentially a market/niche which you can capitalize on.
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Mike Bradson

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

It is irrelevant whether it's "legally" approved by the game developer. The truth is that, endorsed or not, this practice has taken place in all previous games so from the IM'er point of view it's not going to be any different.

I know what you're saying, but my point is that because it is legal now, you will have more people interested in learning how to sell items for an actual profit, not just "game gold."

Before, only the "gold farmers" would take the time to set up a third party website and sell in-game items. Your average Joe isn't going to learn how to put up a site, drive traffic and handle transactions all while running the risk of getting caught/sued.

Now you're going to have more people interested in how to "sell" something in an online game. More people will look to D3 as a potential second source of income.

Essentially the buyers will now become the sellers.

So instead of targeting keywords like: "how to make 10000 gold" or "how to level fast" it's going to be "how to sell items" or "how to make money fast d3"

I think that changes the game for us IMers because we are now targeting people that will be sellers, not just buyers. There will be more people seeking to learn how to make a secondary source of income online through a game. You might even be able to introduce them to the IM world and cross promote a few newbie friendly products.

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Anonymous Affiliate

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Mike Bradson

Before, only the "gold farmers" would take the time to set up a third party website and sell in-game items. Your average Joe isn't going to learn how to put up a site, drive traffic and handle transactions all while running the risk of getting caught/sued.

Now you're going to have more people interested in how to "sell" something in an online game. More people will look to D3 as a potential second source of income.

What I'm trying to say is that the Average Joe will not be able to compete with multi-million sweatshops doing this at a professional scale. He won't be able to sell any item because there will be a horde of Chinese farmers underbidding him. This has already been happening for years, and if Blizzard makes it "legal", it will even make it worse.

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BloggingPro

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Anonymous Affiliate

What I'm trying to say is that the Average Joe will not be able to compete with multi-million sweatshops doing this at a professional scale. He won't be able to sell any item because there will be a horde of Chinese farmers underbidding him. This has already been happening for years, and if Blizzard makes it "legal", it will even make it worse.

Which is exactly why this could quite possibly be the worst idea ever...

However, I will say that the page stated you would have to deposit and withdrawal your cash via approved sources (whatever the hell that means.)

That could technically put a stop to something like this very quickly, especially if that approved deposit source doesn't allow Chinese bank accounts.

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Anonymous Affiliate 13 years ago

Originally Posted by BloggingPro

That could technically put a stop to something like this very quickly, especially if that approved deposit source doesn't allow Chinese bank accounts.

Opening an offshore bank account is as simple as it gets. Blocking Chinese banks wouldnt solve the problem. Besides, the labor is Chinese-based, but that doesnt mean that the entrepreneur behind it is...
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Onora Oz

13 years ago

I hate Blizzard for doing this. I wanted my Diablo entertain me, not make me money.
But now I'll have to find ways to make money from it!

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Tina Golden

13 years ago

Let's just wait and see if the dang game is ever released. It's been "coming soon" for how many years now??

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razorhound

13 years ago

Originally Posted by Tina Golden

Let's just wait and see if the dang game is ever released. It's been "coming soon" for how many years now??

Hi Tina, the beta test is coming, confirmed here:
Diablo III Beta Profile Update - Forums - World of Warcraft

It should not be long till the actual release date.

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TheArticlePros

13 years ago

Originally Posted by razorhound

Hi Tina, the beta test is coming, confirmed here:
Diablo III Beta Profile Update - Forums - World of Warcraft

It should not be long till the actual release date.

I've already got my beta key. Can't use it though because my main computer crashed the day before I got it.

-- j

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WebPen 13 years ago

Originally Posted by JaRyCu

I've already got my beta key. Can't use it though because my main computer crashed the day before I got it.

-- j

That stinks!

I think this is a cool idea, but the problem is that there will be item farms overseas that pay people pennies to farm items and then sell them in the game.

This will 1) lower the value of the items, and 2) make it harder for those of us in countries with higher cost of living to do well.

Still- maybe you can start your own farm if you're feeling ambitious.
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eklipz316 13 years ago

Originally Posted by Onora Oz

I hate Blizzard for doing this. I wanted my Diablo entertain me, not make me money.
But now I'll have to find ways to make money from it!

Perhaps it can do both. I probably won't be too concerned about making money while playing it but if you pick up a rare item that you aren't gana use, why not make a few bucks?
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razorhound

13 years ago

They should have done that to World of Warcraft! Anyway, is it safe to get a D3 domain?

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John Mogusar

13 years ago

Haha, there have long been "trading houses" for these types of games. They would buy low, sell high, and conduct trades for the rarer items.

A handful of those business owners made a killing for several years from Diablo II. Even gold was on the market during the first months of the game. Gold was extremely easy to come by.

Some players don't want to "work" for what they get...they'd rather buy it. Entire characters were also for sale. Character leveling services as well. The latter cost around $100 to level the character close to max.

It's against most games' terms of service, but those rules are rarely enforced.

I've been waiting for Diablo III for...five or six years or longer? It's going to be (a) huge (time waster). (But fun!)

I'm sure the reason for Blizzard is implementing this feature is cash in with commissions. They will also limit the practicality of outside trading companies. There has also been a significant potential for fraud up until now. This should eliminate those worries.

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IsayHey

13 years ago

Never played diablo before, but I may have to start it now!

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Aviator Joe 13 years ago

Looks like d3 is gonna be a pretty big deal
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dannypayton

13 years ago

This is nice of Blizzard. It might be a good niche for affiliate offers or just plain selling in game goods and items. Thanks for this information. I will take a look at it since I am a diablo fan

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brusacco

Banned 13 years ago

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Paul Koenig

13 years ago

Originally Posted by brusacco

I know a guy who runs a bot network, have 50 bots(auto-playes) farming all day long.
He makes like 5000usd month.

Some time he get some accounts banned, but he just buy a new one, LVL85 and rdy for farming.

Yeah the only way to make real money is breaking the terms of service and using bots, or finding a way to dupe items then sell with a disclaimer.

(both happened frequently in Diablo2).

I saw a few companies sell 'certified legit' items, but they did not draw in nearly as many sales as the others.

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Anonymous Affiliate 13 years ago

Originally Posted by brusacco

I know a guy who runs a bot network, have 50 bots(auto-playes) farming all day long.
He makes like 5000usd month.

There are sweatshops in China where entrepreneurs buy out internet cafes and employ entire teams of 50-to-100 teenagers to play the game 24/7 in scheduled shifts, farming items and game currency to sell it afterwards in what's called "the secondary market".

I personally know people who were generating 8-figures a year... I will say no more...
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BloggingPro

13 years ago

Something tell's me that the IRS is going to want some more information on these "virtual transactions," especially as this is the first of its kind.

An in-game Auction House that uses real money? Video games aren't games anymore... they are just an extension of reality in a virtual space.

Somewhere an off-shore casino owner is wondering why his server's have to be located in another country, yet this will go off without a hitch.

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Anonymous Affiliate 13 years ago

Originally Posted by BloggingPro

Something tell's me that the IRS is going to want some more information on these "virtual transactions," especially as this is the first of its kind.

Totally agree. It already happened to online poker rooms, and if this is "legalized" by game developers, the IRS will jump on this right away.
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Rendix 13 years ago

Originally Posted by BloggingPro

Something tell's me that the IRS is going to want some more information on these "virtual transactions," especially as this is the first of its kind.

I'm fairly certain that Paypal is already capable of shooting people 1099's. The RMAH will most likely involve Paypal to "cash-out". The IRS will treat this the same as e-bay, and the cogs are already in place for such a thing.

This isn't the "first of it's kind" either, it's simply the most commercial application it has seen in the video game world.

I'd argue that a "virtual transaction" through a clickbank vendor is relatively the same thing; Trading money for virtual goods.
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QuelThalas

13 years ago

make private server maybe.you can make your own site to make then registering your server,and you can get benefit from that.make them pay for you private server as an account.

crazzy idea,but it is works

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JamesGw

13 years ago

I never understood why studios were so against people using real money to trade in-game items. Just implement it IG like Diablo is doing and take a 5% cut. Easy money.

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Anonymous Affiliate

13 years ago

Originally Posted by JamesGw

I never understood why studios were so against people using real money to trade in-game items. Just implement it IG like Diablo is doing and take a 5% cut. Easy money.

Because for many players it ruins the game experience. These massive online games are all about achievement and in-game character development (that's what role playing games are based upon), so by allowing anyone and their mother to buy their way forward it cheapens the whole experience.

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Lazy Larry 13 years ago

Mike,
I have been thinking exactly what you have. I'm a big Diablo fan and almost got a hardon today when I read up on the Auction House.
I can't send any IM's yet but email me at lhforce2510 at yahoo dot com
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BloggingPro

13 years ago

Originally Posted by JamesGw

I never understood why studios were so against people using real money to trade in-game items. Just implement it IG like Diablo is doing and take a 5% cut. Easy money.

It can ruin the in-game balance, and with MMO's it can ruin the game's economy which can then in turn harm the game balance even more.

Video Games are about balance... that is why they are games and not real life.