Post by Morreion on Jul 7, 2010 8:54:14 GMT -5
Hat tip to Jaema for pointing this controversy out:
Official forum changes, real life names to be displayed (WoW.com)
The Daily Grind: Real ID -- Do we finally have our WoW killer? (Massively)
Real Names on Blizzard Forums (Keen & Graev's Gaming Blog)
Initially, Keen applauded the idea so that the forums would be less like a cesspool, but he changed his mind after the comments on his thread piled up:
Terrible idea from a privacy angle. Read some of the comments on the above links.
Official forum changes, real life names to be displayed (WoW.com)
Blizzard is moving all of their forums to the Real ID system. This means there are major changes coming to the official forums, ones that we all need to be aware of.
The largest change is that the real life names will now be displayed on the official forums via the associated Real ID account. After the launch of Cataclysm, if you post on the official forum, your real life name will be displayed. Drysc / Bashiok (who we'll soon be calling by his real name) posted an update that these changes are not retroactive.
The largest change is that the real life names will now be displayed on the official forums via the associated Real ID account. After the launch of Cataclysm, if you post on the official forum, your real life name will be displayed. Drysc / Bashiok (who we'll soon be calling by his real name) posted an update that these changes are not retroactive.
The Daily Grind: Real ID -- Do we finally have our WoW killer? (Massively)
Okay, maybe we do and maybe we don't, but there's no question that Blizzard dropped a huge bomb on their community yesterday.
Battle.net forum members were treated to a wall of blue text yesterday, but here's the core of the issue: "The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID -- that is, their real-life first and last name -- with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it."
Given the fact that the most gamers cut their teeth on internet security lessons, this announcement was met with a predictable storm of protest. It can be argued that it's a pretty short leap from someone's real name to their forum posts to their game name/account information, even if they choose not to link their character names directly -- and that's treading in dangerous territory. Everyone either has a horror story or has heard one.
A huge number of the over 13,000 forum posts are variations of "See ya", including many popular MMO bloggers. But the fact that others saw this as only a good thing proves that there are two sides to every coin.
Battle.net forum members were treated to a wall of blue text yesterday, but here's the core of the issue: "The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID -- that is, their real-life first and last name -- with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it."
Given the fact that the most gamers cut their teeth on internet security lessons, this announcement was met with a predictable storm of protest. It can be argued that it's a pretty short leap from someone's real name to their forum posts to their game name/account information, even if they choose not to link their character names directly -- and that's treading in dangerous territory. Everyone either has a horror story or has heard one.
A huge number of the over 13,000 forum posts are variations of "See ya", including many popular MMO bloggers. But the fact that others saw this as only a good thing proves that there are two sides to every coin.
Real Names on Blizzard Forums (Keen & Graev's Gaming Blog)
Initially, Keen applauded the idea so that the forums would be less like a cesspool, but he changed his mind after the comments on his thread piled up:
Update: While I think it is a good idea to remove the anonymity of online forums, I think all good ideas have their limitations. This has gone from a good idea, with great intentions, to an idea that is hated by so many people that is simply can not be good for anyone. Ironically, those who are against real names being used because people will seek out and expose their private information are the ones who are doing it to those who are innocent and undeserving of the invasions. I fully expect Blizzard to withdraw the idea gracefully as it would be the right thing to do under these circumstances. As such, I’ll go ahead and lock the comments section here since I believe we have enough commentary on the subject. One day the world may be ready, but not today.
Terrible idea from a privacy angle. Read some of the comments on the above links.
