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The Battle.Net RealID Poll & Discussion.
The_Grump
Member Posts: 331
I don't think we currently have a poll and we need one, it's perhaps the easiest and most constructive way to see what the community thinks about RealID. Before taking the poll, please look at the following links and read some of the comments as well as the main posting in #'s 1 and 3.
1. Official Battle.Net announcement about real names being used in forums
2. A Blizzard employee offering their real name (see #16, courtesy of MMORPG.com member Christopher8)
3. A Blizzard employee being 'IDed' (courtesy of MMORPG.com member lethys)
This poll is nuanced, so please choose the answer you think most appropriately shares your perspective.
[Mod Edit:]
To consolidate the discussion into a single thread, please use this thread to discuss Real ID. All other threads will be locked and redirected here. Thank you.
(1)TL:DR must be your way of saying that thinking hurts. Then again, this may explain why it looks like you responded to the post without using your brain.
(2) It's not about community, is it? You just have nothing better to do.
Comments
To keep this poll easily in view, please add a comment along with your response (whether it is to explain your vote or simply to add your own thoughts). Having a large sample would be great.
(1)TL:DR must be your way of saying that thinking hurts. Then again, this may explain why it looks like you responded to the post without using your brain.
(2) It's not about community, is it? You just have nothing better to do.
If they allowed everyone to make a forum handle instead of using their real name then this wouldn't be such a big deal.
I don't even tell my real name in RL unless it's friends. Why would I want to tell total strangers my name?
I never ever use my real name to buy a game or subscription either.
I don't want my next employer to know everything about me.
/facepalm. This is blizzard so I'm not surprised.
Even though I almost never use the WoW forums, I don't like this idea one bit. I understand for the most part, using the WoW forums is entirely optional, but I imagine it's always been a very convenient method of communication with actual staff members as well as for all the individual realm communities. I think Blizzard is going way too far with this, I mean, flashing your first and last name each time you make a post? I know it's within their right, but it really just sounds like they don't care about the privacy of their own customers if that's what they're going to do.
At the same time, I understand the reasoning. Part of the reason I don't actually post on the WoW forums is the awful community. There's so much flaming and trolling, and worst of all is the moderators who allow so much of it to go unpunished.
Some people I've seen reccomend having players post under a simple handle that's visible to everyone else on the forums. That sounds like the right way to go. Instead Blizzard is taking a much more extreme measure.
Well, the worst part would be employers or relationships.
I live in Europe, no one cares what I wrote on a US site or whatever I say there. But I bet you plenty of US companies would be going through posts or relationships broken if forums started to post RL names of people. Not to mention just privacy issues, you don't want everyone to know when you're home or what you're doing do you.
The stupidity of this is mind boggling, my respect for Blizzard just fell so much.
With all the en vogue criticism lobbed at Blizzard and World of Warcraft, I still like it. It's a fun game. No, it's not everything I've always wanted in a MMORPG, but I still got enjoyment out of my play. This is the straw, though. I don't troll their forums, but I have made posts from time to time. Regardless, I still only cared to be known by my toon's name, as that was enough of a social contract between me and the other players. Blizzard obviously needs to know my real name for business purposes, but that's a confidential business arrangement between them as a service provider and me as a patron. The other players? Sorry, but my name is very valuable to me, as it should be for anyone and their name.
To prove this point, have a look at what someone did when one of the Community Managers at Blizzard shared his name: http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Americans-are-bad-at-games/Real-Names-on-the-Official-Forums-New-REAL-ID-function?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wowriot+%28Latest+Wowriot+Blog+Posts+-+Wowriot.Gameriot.com%29
This is what can happen with a name. Yes, I have a Facebook account, but vindictive assholes on gaming forums don't know what it is, nor should they. So, what's the solution? Do I just stop participating in the forums? That would be the first step, but honestly, I think a stronger message needs to be sent. I never fault a successful enterprise for being successful, but this is one clear example of Blizzard becoming "too big for their breetches" as it were. My account has been put on hold for the last couple of months pending Cataclysm. I was going to purchase it, reopen the account, and play the new content. If Blizzard doesn't reverse this decision, then I have no choice but to abandon them and their games. I can live without WoW. I liked it. I had fun playing. But I do not and will not support this decision.
My vote was the first "nay" in the list.
"You'll never win an argument with an idiot because he is too stupid to recognize his own defeat." ~Anonymous
I think it's great, simply by looking at the responses people have to this. Offcourse people are going to cry a river; they won't be able to forum-grief anymore while hiding behind their "p0wnzo0rz" alias.
I'm for it, simply because I have nothing to hide.
Btw: Blizzard isn't going to magically go bankrupt over this either. Who are people trying to kid?
Not everyone who is against this is some kind of troll. The old argument "Those who fear for their privacy probably have something to hide." is hollow.
Blizzard may not go bankrupt, but I'm pretty sure this isn't going to just be accepted. The official forum has a thread 800+ pages long and growing, mostly containing people's disagreement with this. Don't think for a moment that every person who disagrees does so because it removes their ability to be an asshole.
"You'll never win an argument with an idiot because he is too stupid to recognize his own defeat." ~Anonymous
Imagine everyone would do the same thing as Blizzard, putting your personal name online with everything you ever said / did.
Facebook, Credit card companies, Hospitals, Porn sites, Personal messages, Youtube, every forum.
You absolutely sure you have nothing to hide?
Never ever griefed anyone on the forums None of my friends did. Hey my guildies even set up a blog pointing out the pointless dramas and flamewars on WoW forums back when we played. We were active on our server forums as well as class and Raid forums, contributing to the community., by making RP events, tournaments, setting up Battleground matches in vanilla.
You call this trolling?
And yeah im against it, plenty of my friends that were hyped about Cata are now considering to pull out. The only thing that this decission will hurt is server communities that actually tried to do something constructive. I doubt it will stop idiots and trolls at all. Privacy is called privacy for a reason.
My sister works for a CC company, all she needs is your name and she can pull your bank account up with everything you ever did. It's that easy.
Here's the problem with 800 page topics: People make alts and post in it again and again, with a new alt every time. Kind of a joke, really. You know this holds true, simply because we're dealing with the WoW community (Even though SC2 is a different game, looking at the forum you just KNOW the same people are there, making the forum useless with childish behaviour and whatnot).
Anyway, I understand what decent people might have against real name usage in a forum and game. Especially parents (Which I am one of). However, I acknowledge the fact that it is still a choice I would have to make. If I don't want my real name known in such a manner, I will simply refrain from buying their games and posting on their forums. It's really that simple.
Now, without going into this any more than I want to: In the end, I think it would have been WAY easier to simply close down the forums. Spend the money they do now on moderators on support employees instead. No more flaming and trolling (Atleast not on an OFFICIAL board).
Imagine........ya.....good argument. Stick to the actual issue, rather than imagining things.
Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't call any and all opposers a troll >.<.
You have to consider this. Have you seen what happened to the Blizzard employee?
His name, age, sex, phone number, he lives with his mom / dad, his relationships, CC, his income, his posts, all reveiled.
http://wowriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Americans-are-bad-at-games/Real-Names-on-the-Official-Forums-New-REAL-ID-function?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wowriot+%28Latest+Wowriot+Blog+Posts+-+Wowriot.Gameriot.com%29
You would be ok to give out all your info to this forum?
Right, you would not.
Apparently I wouldn't care, since even if blizzard implements Real-ID, I'd still buy SC2, play it, and post on the forum.
That said, I'm not sure how things work in America, but here, even with my name, you won't get my information so easilly.
Care to share your name / surname / phone number / CC number / place you live here then?
You're missing the point. Anyone with a common name would be untrackable. Anyone with a somewhat uncommon name would be super easy to track.
If you had a very uncommon name I would be able to track you, I know you live in the Netherlands already. If you ever posted personal info on any Blizzard forum it would be even easier.
You think you're not online with info? think again, everyone is in some form or another
Biz, bastionix does have a point that is quite valid here because this isn't an issue of whether or not anyone has anything to hide but about privacy allowances and them being stripped away bit by bit as the cost of doing business. You should still be concerned about this, even if you agree with Blizzard in the sense that it's merely the cost to do business and for one very simple reason: the less people show they are bothered by something the easier it is to push the boundaries on that thing. It isn't crazy at all to say that, given the state of privacy, privacy controls on the internet and general corporate functioning, all sorts of personal information can be made public that should not.
This isn't the sort of RFID conspiracy that people go off on on occasion, this is about the whittling away of not just individual rights but consumer rights as well. Moreover, it's about answering two very important questions: in the wake of Capitalism-gone-awry, do we have any rights at all and if we do is privacy (all things considered) one of them?
(1)TL:DR must be your way of saying that thinking hurts. Then again, this may explain why it looks like you responded to the post without using your brain.
(2) It's not about community, is it? You just have nothing better to do.
But I guess you can create your RealID with anything you can come up to. I mean, instead of writing there my name and surname, I can write whatever I want. Problem solved?
This is a good point, but what it you actually require support for your account that requires interacting with a Blizzard employee? Blizzard may decide that such deception is perma-ban worthy.
(1)TL:DR must be your way of saying that thinking hurts. Then again, this may explain why it looks like you responded to the post without using your brain.
(2) It's not about community, is it? You just have nothing better to do.
For the last time: I get it.
But right now, it doesn't apply, because we're talking about a game and a gaming forum. I draw lines when it comes to privacy, just not this soon. And as Ive stated once again: With my name you will not get any info as easilly as you apparently can in the States.
Look, Im done arguing over this. I'm not even sure Blizzard is going through with this (Something tells me they're not). Even though i said I was all for it, what I meant was that I don't care either way (As I might have hinted xD). I'lle play SC2 with, or without, my real name booming on people's screens
.
16.000 posts in a matter of hours. lol much, they really screwed up this time
http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25712374700&sid=1&pageNo=1
Obligatory Youtube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiauaGbxipA&feature=player_embedded#!
It sounds too simple to work. But then again.......
Which brings me to: How many deviations of C. Norris do you think we'll see? xD