When Diablo 2 came out, I have spent a big part of my freetime with that game and I learned my lesson. If all those hours where put together, I would not be surprised if several weeks or months worth of gaming time would add up.
And when it got a bit boring and I decided to look after other things again, I realized something pretty devastating: I gained a whole bunch of levels, powers and items, all of it pretty cool, badass and nifty. Nothing of that helped me afterwards, the game did not teach my anything and I just wasted precious time on it, a relatively large part of my youth. I should have read a book, cleaned up my flat or did anything productive. Yes, it was fun, but if you look closely, it is still a big waste of time.
Did Diablo 2 teach me something about roleplaying games? No. And I thank any entity - which feels in the smalles amount responsible - for that.
The Principle of Diablo 1 and 2 is running around, hacking thousands of enemies to pieces and gathering various items. Sure, with Diablo 2, there were some good films waiting for the victorious player, but still it was just an endless point-click-and-kill-game. Nearly no puzzles, next to none social interaction with NPC, a straightfoward story with little surprises or twists.
Did Diablo 2 teach "my" other roleplayers something about roleplaying games? Yes, unfortunately it did. Some of them want to run around, have a fight on every other street corner and expect to get some great items for that. Luckily that are not many players, since they have learned that computer RPGs are not the same as p&p RPGs.
Which is the problem of Diablo 1, 2 and probably 3 in my opinion. If you reduce all its quirks and traits down, all what is left is a slaughtergame that deals with items and the gathering thereof.
The point of items that have various bonuses is an interesting point. But on the other hand, what would the consequence be? Reminds me a bit of Knights of the Dinner Table: "Oh, hey, yet another Hackmaster +4 sword. Gee! Thank you so much, GM, I put it to my collection. Now I have 22 useless +4 swords. Well well well, at least I can sell them." It is quite unlikely that those items are used, should a player character have a better one, since Rolemaster does not emulate the tear'n'wear of items, as far as I know. And that would be too much bookkeeping, if you ask me. So those items would be sold or ignored, that depends on their worth and their weight.
Thus I have decided that I am not going to buy and play Diablo 3 and I guess it will not influence me or my RPGs. A human life is pathetically short and then it's over, so computer games that do not teach or touch 1 should be avoided in my ignorant and self-righteous opinion. Diablo 3 would have to offer more than hack'n'slay and nice graphics to make me look twice. If it is just another hollywoodesque, "whoo, so awesome"-epic-over-the-top-game, I see no point in playing it.
We (my players and me) play Rolemaster, not the fourth Edition of some streamlined, nice'n'shiny strategic battle game which claims to be an RPG but is built for epic and pseudo-epic combat.
1 There are a whole lot of computer games and movies that I gladly "waste" my time with, even if they teach next to nothing. They "touch" me - my emotions, maybe even my soul. For example the computer game The Whispered World did "touch" me, same as the movies Sideways or Big Fish.
