Ever since the announcement that there would be a Real Money Auction House in Diablo 3, there has been lots of speculation and discussion about how many people will use the RMAH, and how successful it will be. In this article I will look at some of the different groups of gamers that will be using the RMAH, including what role each group will play in the Diablo 3 economy.

Gamers with Very Little Time and Very Little Money

This group will rarely, if ever, use the RMAH. Since the majority of sales on the RMAH will likely be large quantities of gold and the best drops from Inferno difficulty/high level crafted items, these gamers will not have the time or money to obtain these things quickly enough.

Impact on the Diablo 3 economy – Very little to none

Gamers with Lots of Time and Lots of Money

Gamers in this group are unlikely to use the RMAH extensively, as they will usually use the good drops they get, and won’t need to buy many items to keep up with the progress of their friends. They may buy an expensive item here and there if they are unlucky with drops, or if they just have to have an especially appealing item.

Impact on the Diablo 3 economy – Low to Moderate

Gamers with Lots of Time and Very Little Money

A lot of people in this group will be providing most of the supply in the Diablo 3 economy. Even if they aren’t trying to make lots of money, they will have the most items to sell because of how much they play the game. Savvy traders that keep track of prices will be able to capitalize off the people in this group that underprice their items.

Impact on the Diablo 3 economy – Large effect, second only to…

Gamers with Very Little Time and Lots of Money

People in this group will be injecting the largest amount of real money into the Diablo 3 economy, and buying the most expensive items regularly. This group will very likely be the biggest factor in the success or failure of the RMAH.

Impact on the Diablo 3 economy – Very Large

The Biggest Determining Factor

Admittedly, these groups represent the extremes, and there will be plenty of gamers that don’t neatly fit into these categories. The biggest determining factor in how successful the RMAH will be, is how much the average gamer will use the RMAH, and how much, if any, real money they spend. If not enough real money is introduced into the system, then nothing else really matters. The good news is that many gamers nowadays are used to buying items and add-ons for the video games they play, so the RMAH looks like it will turn out to be very successful.

Diablo 3 · Diablo 3 economy · Diablo 3 RMAH

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