It's a matter of being secretive to a fault. Rather than letting us move forward and you go do what you want to do, you have to try to impede movement with nonsensical wheel-squeaking.
Great, so now it's me holding everyone back just because Kotick wants to squeeze out a few more bucks? And just what is this progress? Aggression doesn't disappear just because people post under full names - I've witnessed this too many times to count. Instead, it gets intensely personal, with pride and self-respect boosting testosterone levels to seemingly impossible heights.
My point is that if I'm going to avoid playing video games because my potential employer 10 years from now may not hire me because of my hobby, I may as well stop living.
But you don't know that. Or are you psychic?
And that is exactly my point. How do I know if anything I do now, will have an adverse effect on anything in the future? I don't. What I do know is that I can minimize any negative issues by not volunteering my personal information everywhere.
To each his own. I'd rather tackle issues as they arise rather than worrying about hypothetical situations in the future. Nothing about the future is certain so there is no point in trying to anticipate it. Even if you believe your are safer in the future because you keep your personal info secret.
Originally posted by Elidien Earlier today I had posted several comments about the RealID and name issues. I stand by what I wrote when I say, to me, its not a privacy issue. I think your information is even easier to get than most people realize or want to think about. Maybe its because I work in a very public setting and many, many people see my information all the time. So I am not posting to comment on or debate the ins and outs of privacy and such. What I am posting about is my disappointment in Blizzard. I grew up on Blizzard's games. I have played them all. Heck, I still play Diablo 2 all the time when I want my action-RPG fix. Those games got me through college in the 90s and part of the reason I started playing WOW and have played it since launch is because of Blizzard's reputation. That reputation was a company of gamers making games for gamers. A company that refused to cave-in to pressure and release early or release incomplete games. Now, and most likely since the corporate change at Blizzard with Activision taking over, that is no longer there. These Realid, name, e-mail address/account, integration with Facebook changes all clearly point to one thing: marketing. It is all about the sale, the money and Blizzard/Activision's desire to make a buck. A company of gamers wouldn't be making this decision; this is a decision of marketer's, a decision of boardroom members who think its a good idea, a decision of greed and nothing more. Following in the footsteps of the new store and associated items, Blizzard is nothing more than a gaming company after a quick buck. After 4 years, countless characters, running my own guild, almost 6k achievement points, doing every holiday event and immeasurable hours playing, my time has come to an end. My time with Blizzard games is done. Not because I fear my privacy is compromised, not because I disagree with their decisions, but because Blizzard is no longer about the game and the gamer. Cataclysm only has 5 levels and when you get down to it, it is a small expansion when compared to BC and WOTLK. Anyone think that it could be MORE had Blizzard not spent tons of time of things like Realid and other marketing based changes to the game. Do you honestly think something like this would be something TRUE gamers at heart would do? So I am going to do what Jon Wood recommended. I am going to stand by my principles...I am going to cancel my account and let Blizzard know that it is their decision to become obsessed with their success and desire for money and popularity over making good games, games players love..then I will no longer support them or their product. Starcraft 2 pre-order canceled and most likely Diablo 3 as well. Its been a great 15 or so years but its time to move on. It is just sad to me that this is what Blizzard has become.
This very nearly brings me to tears. This change is certainly the result of the mergers, but it is such a sad thing to be reminded of the company Blizzard used to be. But I am going to say what I often say in these circumstances. Most of the people that made those games we love so great have moved on to other companies, because they did want to be about the gamers. My advice would be to look to those companies, and those games.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it." Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
To be honest, I think you're stretching for a win. If you're afraid that an employer (or current employer) does not want you working for him because you're playing a game, don't play the damn game. But if you're afraid of that, I honestly think you're a fool.
It's an example. There are other, much better, examples for keeping private information private. The fact is that these issues would not even be issues if Blizzard didn't decide to partner up with Facebook and make private information public.
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
My point is that if I'm going to avoid playing video games because my potential employer 10 years from now may not hire me because of my hobby, I may as well stop living.
But you don't know that. Or are you psychic?
And that is exactly my point. How do I know if anything I do now, will have an adverse effect on anything in the future? I don't. What I do know is that I can minimize any negative issues by not volunteering my personal information everywhere.
How about you treat it like real life: If you don't want it getting around, don't do it.
But how do I know what to do or not to do? For example, would you consider gaming to be a negative? Or telling a dirty joke to your friend outside of work? Or letting your husband/wife take sexy pictures of you? None of those things are illegal but people have lost their jobs because of them.
You're basically saying that I should stop living, whereas an easier solution would be to keep internet private, just how it always was.
Here's what you do: Things you feel secure in doing.
Here's what you don't do: Things you don't feel secure in doing.
I think it was in third grade, a teacher said, "You shouldn't do anything that might be in tomorrow morning's paper for everyone to read, because that may be where it ends up."
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
Maybe because it was expected that you would accept the argument that was easiest to make? Sometimes, one does that to save time and drive the discussion forward.
It's a matter of being secretive to a fault. Rather than letting us move forward and you go do what you want to do, you have to try to impede movement with nonsensical wheel-squeaking.
Great, so now it's me holding everyone back just because Kotick wants to squeeze out a few more bucks? And just what is this progress? Aggression doesn't disappear just because people post under full names - I've witnessed this too many times to count. Instead, it gets intensely personal, with pride and self-respect boosting testosterone levels to seemingly impossible heights.
I appreciate the integration of my social networking from games, to life to my presence on the Internet. If an employer doesn't hire me for a job because I play a game, then that's really not the type of person I'd want to work for. Sure, that wasn't really my choice to make, but it turns out for the better for me.
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
It's a matter of being secretive to a fault. Rather than letting us move forward and you go do what you want to do, you have to try to impede movement with nonsensical wheel-squeaking.
Great, so now it's me holding everyone back just because Kotick wants to squeeze out a few more bucks? And just what is this progress? Aggression doesn't disappear just because people post under full names - I've witnessed this too many times to count. Instead, it gets intensely personal, with pride and self-respect boosting testosterone levels to seemingly impossible heights.
I appreciate the integration of my social networking from games, to life to my presence on the Internet. If an employer doesn't hire me for a job because I play a game, then that's really not the type of person I'd want to work for. Sure, that wasn't really my choice to make, but it turns out for the better for me.
Good to know you can just find a job anywhere in this economy!
Be like telling your starving children, sorry you cannot eat today and I cannot put a roof over your head because the video game is more important!
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
Maybe because it was expected that you would accept the argument that was easiest to make? Sometimes, one does that to save time and drive the discussion forward.
You work things backwards from me, I guess. I would have given the strongest argument I could make right off the bat and go from there.
Tell you what, since giving the other arguments did not convince me, how about you try those better ones?
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
I dont play WOW anymore (quit 2 years ago) but if I was still playing I would kinda like this idea. Only because now people would talk less trash and say racial remarks. Atleast if I was playing and bump into a ass who is saying racial crap to me. I can find out where they live and if they live in the east coast I can just drive or fly to their house and beat their ass in person lol gotta love it. Hmmm maybe I will try WOW out again.
It's a matter of being secretive to a fault. Rather than letting us move forward and you go do what you want to do, you have to try to impede movement with nonsensical wheel-squeaking.
Great, so now it's me holding everyone back just because Kotick wants to squeeze out a few more bucks? And just what is this progress? Aggression doesn't disappear just because people post under full names - I've witnessed this too many times to count. Instead, it gets intensely personal, with pride and self-respect boosting testosterone levels to seemingly impossible heights.
I appreciate the integration of my social networking from games, to life to my presence on the Internet. If an employer doesn't hire me for a job because I play a game, then that's really not the type of person I'd want to work for. Sure, that wasn't really my choice to make, but it turns out for the better for me.
Good to know you can just find a job anywhere in this economy!
Be like telling your starving children, sorry you cannot eat today and I cannot put a roof over your head because the video game is more important!
I say that because I honestly think that it's a VAST minority that wouldn't hire you because you play World of Warcraft. And I can't stress "vast minority" enough.
Besides that, if you really are that concerned that playing World of Warcraft will keep you from working, stop now. Stop playing right now and never touch it again. Don't cry about what the changes are because you shouldn't be playing it anyway.
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
Then change your name. Don't play the game. You have a lot of choices. It _is_ just a game after all.
It's a matter of being secretive to a fault. Rather than letting us move forward and you go do what you want to do, you have to try to impede movement with nonsensical wheel-squeaking.
Great, so now it's me holding everyone back just because Kotick wants to squeeze out a few more bucks? And just what is this progress? Aggression doesn't disappear just because people post under full names - I've witnessed this too many times to count. Instead, it gets intensely personal, with pride and self-respect boosting testosterone levels to seemingly impossible heights.
I appreciate the integration of my social networking from games, to life to my presence on the Internet. If an employer doesn't hire me for a job because I play a game, then that's really not the type of person I'd want to work for. Sure, that wasn't really my choice to make, but it turns out for the better for me.
Good to know you can just find a job anywhere in this economy!
Be like telling your starving children, sorry you cannot eat today and I cannot put a roof over your head because the video game is more important!
I say that because I honestly think that it's a VAST minority that wouldn't hire you because you play World of Warcraft. And I can't stress "vast minority" enough.
Besides that, if you really are that concerned that playing World of Warcraft will keep you from working, stop now. Stop playing right now and never touch it again. Don't cry about what the changes are because you shouldn't be playing it anyway.
Oh TBh I do not really care, I quit playing long ago, I personally think the game is pretty lame. LOL
Anyhow- on the issue of an employer.. hmm, you know if I found out an employee was a oversealous WOW fan boy, I would probably make their life so miserable at work they would want to leave.. But I am just easily amused that way.
To be honest, I think you're stretching for a win. If you're afraid that an employer (or current employer) does not want you working for him because you're playing a game, don't play the damn game. But if you're afraid of that, I honestly think you're a fool.
It's an example. There are other, much better, examples for keeping private information private. The fact is that these issues would not even be issues if Blizzard didn't decide to partner up with Facebook and make private information public.
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed.
But just to drive the point home, what about women who get harrased in online games as it is? Imagine the type of sexual harrassment they will experience when their real names will be visible to anyone on the server? Or those people in the witness protection program? Or maybe someone who was in an abusive relationship and does not want their name and contact info be readily available on the Internet? What about celebrities who may want to take a load off, play a game and not be hounded by fans and haters?
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to remain anonymous on the Internet. I mean, have you not read the stories about people being harrassed, hurt and even killed over something that happened on the internet or in a video game? Google it, hopefully it will open your eyes.
They better release a statement soon or this is going to go way past just a privacy issues. What happens when all the pissed gamers who own stock in the company pull out....
To be honest, I think you're stretching for a win. If you're afraid that an employer (or current employer) does not want you working for him because you're playing a game, don't play the damn game. But if you're afraid of that, I honestly think you're a fool.
It's an example. There are other, much better, examples for keeping private information private. The fact is that these issues would not even be issues if Blizzard didn't decide to partner up with Facebook and make private information public.
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed.
But just to drive the point home, what about women who get harrased in online games as it is? Imagine the type of sexual harrassment they will experience when their real names will be visible to anyone on the server? Or those people in the witness protection program? Or maybe someone who was in an abusive relationship and does not want their name and contact info be readily available on the Internet? What about celebrities who may want to take a load off, play a game and not be hounded by fans and haters?
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to remain anonymous on the Internet. I mean, have you not read the stories about people being harrassed, hurt and even killed over something that happened on the internet or in a video game? Google it, hopefully it will open your eyes.
"Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed."
That is some seriously circular logic.
I tell you what, go Google "murder". Maybe it will open your eyes to why some people are shut-ins and why you should be one too.
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
Then change your name. Don't play the game. You have a lot of choices. It _is_ just a game after all.
You are correct, I do have many choices as a consumer, and though the game itself made me want to leave because I really deteste PVE centered games, if it had been a game I enjoyed, I would have cancelled my account as well over this.
They better release a statement soon or this is going to go way past just a privacy issues. What happens when all the pissed gamers who own stock in the company pull out....
You mean the 1/1000th of a percent they own? I'm sure the Blizzard and Activision will collapse under that enormous weight.
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
Then change your name. Don't play the game. You have a lot of choices. It _is_ just a game after all.
You do know that even if you do change your name, your old name is still linked to you, right? Moreover, changing your name is not as easy as you make it out to be. Besides the legal nonsense, which can be pretty problematic in itself, your name is your identity. It's part of who you are.
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
Then change your name. Don't play the game. You have a lot of choices. It _is_ just a game after all.
You are correct, I do have many choices as a consumer, and though the game itself made me want to leave because I really deteste PVE centered games, if it had been a game I enjoyed, I would have cancelled my account as well over this.
It is just a game, not worth being killed over.
Of course that's a special case too. Normal people walk down the street without looking over their shoulder -- looking for their ex around every corner. You cannot expect the world to cater to you because of this. You have to do the special things you do for yourself and your circumstance.
To be honest, I think you're stretching for a win. If you're afraid that an employer (or current employer) does not want you working for him because you're playing a game, don't play the damn game. But if you're afraid of that, I honestly think you're a fool.
It's an example. There are other, much better, examples for keeping private information private. The fact is that these issues would not even be issues if Blizzard didn't decide to partner up with Facebook and make private information public.
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed.
But just to drive the point home, what about women who get harrased in online games as it is? Imagine the type of sexual harrassment they will experience when their real names will be visible to anyone on the server? Or those people in the witness protection program? Or maybe someone who was in an abusive relationship and does not want their name and contact info be readily available on the Internet? What about celebrities who may want to take a load off, play a game and not be hounded by fans and haters?
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to remain anonymous on the Internet. I mean, have you not read the stories about people being harrassed, hurt and even killed over something that happened on the internet or in a video game? Google it, hopefully it will open your eyes.
"Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed."
That is some seriously circular logic.
I tell you what, go Google "murder". Maybe it will open your eyes to why some people are shut-ins and why you should be one too.
Out of my whole post, you picked out the first sentence? Why don't you Google all of the people who were harrassed, assaulted and/or murdered over something that happened in a video game. Then tell me that privacy on the internet is not important.
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
Then change your name. Don't play the game. You have a lot of choices. It _is_ just a game after all.
You do know that even if you do change your name, your old name is still linked to you, right? Moreover, changing your name is not as easy as you make it out to be. Besides the legal nonsense, which can be pretty problematic in itself, your name is your identity. It's part of who you are.
My name is a label. I am who I am regardless of the label.
Comments
Great, so now it's me holding everyone back just because Kotick wants to squeeze out a few more bucks? And just what is this progress? Aggression doesn't disappear just because people post under full names - I've witnessed this too many times to count. Instead, it gets intensely personal, with pride and self-respect boosting testosterone levels to seemingly impossible heights.
To each his own. I'd rather tackle issues as they arise rather than worrying about hypothetical situations in the future. Nothing about the future is certain so there is no point in trying to anticipate it. Even if you believe your are safer in the future because you keep your personal info secret.
This very nearly brings me to tears. This change is certainly the result of the mergers, but it is such a sad thing to be reminded of the company Blizzard used to be. But I am going to say what I often say in these circumstances. Most of the people that made those games we love so great have moved on to other companies, because they did want to be about the gamers. My advice would be to look to those companies, and those games.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it." Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
WTF? No subscription fee?
Funny that you say there are better examples. Why not start with those as examples? Or better yet, just give them.
Here's what you do: Things you feel secure in doing.
Here's what you don't do: Things you don't feel secure in doing.
I think it was in third grade, a teacher said, "You shouldn't do anything that might be in tomorrow morning's paper for everyone to read, because that may be where it ends up."
I see this as an incredibly stupid thing to do, considering the amount of World of Warcraft players that have been hacked, and credit card information being stolen.
Remember the Seagate harddrives that were put out with a virus stealing this very information and sending it back to China? LOL
Not only was my WOW account , and credit card associated with it stolen, I have had to deal with numerous online stalkers. I think it is insane to even put your real name or any personal information online anymore, because it just isn;t safe to do so. The internet will never be secure, it is impossible to secure it. WOW has had more security issues than most, and to make it even easier to target people isn;t making it better.
My friends in game know who I am, and I would rather leave it that way. I would not want to expose myself further to predators and stalkers. I refuse to use Facebook, Myspace, or classmates either because I never lost touch with my friends, and I have no desire for the guy who used to staple his knee in the back of the class finding me after all these years. I have no desrie to make it easier for stalkers to track me.
There are numerous ways to keep in contact with friends without the need for this at all. We have E-mail, Messenger services and voice chat programs that do a great job at this. Friends already know who you are, all this does is expose you to everyone else, most of which you would have no desire to talk to in the first place.
By implementing this is their forums, they are limiting who is and who is not able to voice their opinions about their game.
Maybe because it was expected that you would accept the argument that was easiest to make? Sometimes, one does that to save time and drive the discussion forward.
I appreciate the integration of my social networking from games, to life to my presence on the Internet. If an employer doesn't hire me for a job because I play a game, then that's really not the type of person I'd want to work for. Sure, that wasn't really my choice to make, but it turns out for the better for me.
Of all the things that can be stolen regarding your identity, your first and last name are the least of your worries, if they're a worry at all.
Good to know you can just find a job anywhere in this economy!
You work things backwards from me, I guess. I would have given the strongest argument I could make right off the bat and go from there.
Tell you what, since giving the other arguments did not convince me, how about you try those better ones?
They are when you have an ex stalking you that you put in jail before you disappeared.. I would rather stay " lost" .
I dont play WOW anymore (quit 2 years ago) but if I was still playing I would kinda like this idea. Only because now people would talk less trash and say racial remarks. Atleast if I was playing and bump into a ass who is saying racial crap to me. I can find out where they live and if they live in the east coast I can just drive or fly to their house and beat their ass in person lol gotta love it. Hmmm maybe I will try WOW out again.
I say that because I honestly think that it's a VAST minority that wouldn't hire you because you play World of Warcraft. And I can't stress "vast minority" enough.
Besides that, if you really are that concerned that playing World of Warcraft will keep you from working, stop now. Stop playing right now and never touch it again. Don't cry about what the changes are because you shouldn't be playing it anyway.
Then change your name. Don't play the game. You have a lot of choices. It _is_ just a game after all.
Oh TBh I do not really care, I quit playing long ago, I personally think the game is pretty lame. LOL
Anyhow- on the issue of an employer.. hmm, you know if I found out an employee was a oversealous WOW fan boy, I would probably make their life so miserable at work they would want to leave.. But I am just easily amused that way.
Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed.
But just to drive the point home, what about women who get harrased in online games as it is? Imagine the type of sexual harrassment they will experience when their real names will be visible to anyone on the server? Or those people in the witness protection program? Or maybe someone who was in an abusive relationship and does not want their name and contact info be readily available on the Internet? What about celebrities who may want to take a load off, play a game and not be hounded by fans and haters?
There are a lot of reasons for wanting to remain anonymous on the Internet. I mean, have you not read the stories about people being harrassed, hurt and even killed over something that happened on the internet or in a video game? Google it, hopefully it will open your eyes.
They better release a statement soon or this is going to go way past just a privacy issues. What happens when all the pissed gamers who own stock in the company pull out....
"Your name is private. The main reason why it shouldn't be disclosed is because you do not want it disclosed."
That is some seriously circular logic.
I tell you what, go Google "murder". Maybe it will open your eyes to why some people are shut-ins and why you should be one too.
You are correct, I do have many choices as a consumer, and though the game itself made me want to leave because I really deteste PVE centered games, if it had been a game I enjoyed, I would have cancelled my account as well over this.
It is just a game, not worth being killed over.
You mean the 1/1000th of a percent they own? I'm sure the Blizzard and Activision will collapse under that enormous weight.
You do know that even if you do change your name, your old name is still linked to you, right? Moreover, changing your name is not as easy as you make it out to be. Besides the legal nonsense, which can be pretty problematic in itself, your name is your identity. It's part of who you are.
Of course that's a special case too. Normal people walk down the street without looking over their shoulder -- looking for their ex around every corner. You cannot expect the world to cater to you because of this. You have to do the special things you do for yourself and your circumstance.
Out of my whole post, you picked out the first sentence? Why don't you Google all of the people who were harrassed, assaulted and/or murdered over something that happened in a video game. Then tell me that privacy on the internet is not important.
My name is a label. I am who I am regardless of the label.