9 Times Gaming Was Too Real

4. Diablo 3's Auction House

Oh god, this thing.

Actually one of the most divisive mechanics in RPG history, Diablo's Auction House was either the key to supremely cool, uber-powerful weapons for a handful of coin, a way for you to profit with real cash for hard work and play-time. Or both.

Though it was shut down after two years of being in the game's PC build, Blizzard's Auction House introduced a fascinating concept - at least to talk about:

How much "worth" do in-game items have in the real world, and if you could sell the things you've accrued over time, would you?

What price would you put on a legendary axe, as a quasi-"product"? Does it make you invest in your wares more, or suddenly start "playing the market" with inflated markups and more dastardly thought processes?

Such was the debate that surrounded Diablo 3, but the real game-breaking stuff centred on how you could bypass entire progression systems by just purchasing a better weapon in seconds.

It's the same issue that arose around Star Wars: Battlefront 2 with its Star Cards, though that too was quickly put to bed.

Actual ownership of digital weapons and items. Should developers ever try this again?