> 
> **Possible Duplicate:**  
> 
> [Would it be better to use XML/JSON/Text or a database to store game content?](https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/4666/would-it-be-better-to-use-xml-json-text-or-a-database-to-store-game-content)  
> 
> [How to choose how to store data?](https://gamedev.stackexchange.com/questions/7952/how-to-choose-how-to-store-data) 
> 
> 
> 

When I look at games such as warcraft 3, or Diablo, or basically any games that contain items in them I notice that each item is unique. They all have different stats, different graphics, different names.

I took a wild guess that they don't use XML, although I know I might be wrong, but I just figured they use something that isn't easily human-editable to prevent casual hacking.

How is data such as item attributes stored in a game (2d or 3d, I suppose it works the same way in both)?