10 Myths and Legends in Videogames

8. The Diablo Chat Gem

In the Battle.net chat, there used to be a blue gem that adorned the area below  the center of the chat window. This gem seems to have been meant to be nothing more than a fancy decoration but the curious thing was that it was clickable and it often gave messages like “Gem Activated” or Gem Deactived” or “Perfect Gem Activated.” Blizzard never revealed what the gem did and so this lead to a tremendous amount of myths and legends about the gem. 

First, before we get into those, the Blizzard “Multiplayer FAQ” said this about the gem: 

Q: What is the functionality of the Gem in the Diablo II Battle.net Chat room?

A: While we cannot reveal the purpose or function of the Gem in the Diablo II Battle.net Chat room, we can say that it is working correctly and has more than exceeded our expectations. Also, Blizzard employees cannot confirm or deny any rumors regarding this Gem.

These comments ran a whole gamut of possibilities. For example, some players attributed clicking the jewel and activating it perfectly to finding gems or gem shrines. Another player swore it said, “Moooooo!” when they clicked on it 286 times and then found a gem shrine. 

Other players believed that it was a means to activate chat filters for curse words. Other people (testers for Diablo 2) speculated that the gem was a way to open up a trade window. Still others swore they heard from blizzard employees that the gem didn’t do anything. 

Eventually, Blizzard added this to their multiplayer FAQ: 

Q: I want to know what the Gem does in the Diablo II Battle.net chat room, and don't tell me you can't say — just tell me what it does!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A: After a solid year of silence, we just can't keep the secret anymore. The long awaited answer to one of the most burning questions about Diablo II is simple: It does what it does. When you click on the Gem, it works perfectly every time, and that is what we have always said. To paraphrase Sigmund Freud, "Sometimes a Gem is just a Gem"!