Are online transactions going to be safe in Diablo 3?

The most-talked about new aspects of Diablo 3 is the dual- money auction house system. Gamers can use both in-game money and real-world cash to buy items in the third edition of the Sanctuary War against the Armies from Hell. Blizzard has chosen not to regulate the money system in the game and would not sell any of its own products through the game. The dual-money system would apply to the Diablo 3 gamers only.

Without any Blizzard control, the Diablo 3 economy is going to be extremely volatile with tremendous fluctuations in currency exchange rates. Blizzard has put in place elaborate security arrangements to ensure that gamers do not put their credit card and monetary-transaction details to risk.

A special tab titled the Blizzard Battle.net Balance would allow gamers to add real-world cash to their gaming account in Diablo 3. The Balance tab would work with popular international online money transaction services like PayPal, acceptance of credit cards, etc. Players can store their cash in the Auction House through the Balance tab.

However, the withdrawal of real-world money from Diablo 3 would work only in some regions where the local laws allow it. All online transactions for withdrawal of real-world money would also attract a small fee. Players can, of course, use the real-world cash to buy items in the game. So, even if the in- game gold is low, players can simply use credit cards and PayPal to stock up their arsenal.

There will also be a limit on the amount of cash players can keep in their Diablo 3 account. Blizzard would only access and withdraw the cash – depending upon local laws – if an account is not used for more than three years.

There are gamers who have openly criticized this system in gaming forums. Some players say this dual-money system is going to encourage gambling. Others fear that hackers would find another platform in the gaming world as amateurs get duped. Overall, most gamers feel that the dual-money system is only going to raise the stakes and increase the excitement. In any case, the dual-money system works in some regions only depending upon security regulations and locals laws.