Blizzard Forums Make Real Names Mandatory

[alleghory415]

Not sure if anyone linked this here yet, but a very good article on it all was written:

http://hellmode.com/2010/07/06/why-real-id-is-a-really-bad-idea/

An amazing article...There are few things that get me seriously terrified in the gaming community, but this is one of them...I'd like to see how this develops, if it develops at all. Until then, I'm going to be avoiding the forums

 

[ItsAPaul]

Good thing I use fake names for online stuff is all I can say. Seems like a terrible idea, but if Blizzard wants to spend money to destory their forums instead of just closing them, I guess that's their problem.

 

[Cabisco]

Here's what I wonder about this policy. How do they ensure that you use your real name, and not a made up one? I don't think they can.

I was thinking that too, but I get the idea behind it and I guess that it's nice that they are trying to get rid of trolls instead of letting them fester.

Still, I don't see many people stopping the trolling with this new system, just a large amount of people suddenly called tits mcgee.

You know there is an easier and faster way of dealing with trolls. And it is way more effective. It's called banning them. That is how you keep a forum from turning into a cesspool. You moderate it. You don't force your members to open themselves up to cyberbullying/stalking or even ID theft if they still want to remain members. ANd don't give me that oh it is just my name because hey with a bit of know how bam I also got your IP address. Which gives me your general location. And oh look 411 + name + location = phone number. And a quick reverse look up gives me your address.

Someone has already posted a mod's full name, address, phone number and facebook account on thier forums. All that was missing was the google map co ordinates.

You sound rather confrontation

Thing is, I agree with you. I personally would not want to give out my real name on a forum, though I do have a facebook page. Hmmm, like I said though everyone would just give fake names and people who just don't want their identities revealed will be turned off the forums.

This makes me wonder, just how big is the trolling on their forums?

 

[Breaker deGodot]

Won't work. Trolls will be trolls, and besides, that's a terrible PR strategy, because some people just don't want to take the risk of being stalked. Yeah, it's unlikely, but no one likes taking unnecessary chances, especially when it comes to video games.

 

[PlasticTree]

It'll probably work (to a certain length), but the question is whether this lives up to the downside. If I was (still) playing WoW, I would definitely post less (or not at all) if my internetz activity was googable by employers and other people who might be not too fond of what they'll find.

 

[squid5580]

Here's what I wonder about this policy. How do they ensure that you use your real name, and not a made up one? I don't think they can.

I was thinking that too, but I get the idea behind it and I guess that it's nice that they are trying to get rid of trolls instead of letting them fester.

Still, I don't see many people stopping the trolling with this new system, just a large amount of people suddenly called tits mcgee.

You know there is an easier and faster way of dealing with trolls. And it is way more effective. It's called banning them. That is how you keep a forum from turning into a cesspool. You moderate it. You don't force your members to open themselves up to cyberbullying/stalking or even ID theft if they still want to remain members. ANd don't give me that oh it is just my name because hey with a bit of know how bam I also got your IP address. Which gives me your general location. And oh look 411 + name + location = phone number. And a quick reverse look up gives me your address.

Someone has already posted a mod's full name, address, phone number and facebook account on thier forums. All that was missing was the google map co ordinates.

You sound rather confrontation

Thing is, I agree with you. I personally would not want to give out my real name on a forum, though I do have a facebook page. Hmmm, like I said though everyone would just give fake names and people who just don't want their identities revealed will be turned off the forums.

This makes me wonder, just how big is the trolling on their forums?

Don't worry it wasn't directed at you

And your question is irrelevant. If trolling and flaming is a problem it should have been dealt with then and there. Let trolls go free and they reproduce like rabbits.

 

[Tadd]

The second someone get cyber bullied becuase of this. Blizzard going to have to pay through the nose on law-suits. Someone save this post it's coming and it's going to be costly.

I'm sure the blizzard forums will have some kind of legal mumbo-jumbo that you have to agree to before signing up.

Anyhow, you make a good point, I just hope your prophecy doesn't come to pass. If it does, then it will prove two things: one, you are right; two, Western law is a joke.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

But my real name is Rembrandt Q Einstein and I live in China! I'm just using a US proxy to get around the great firewall!

It would almost be worth it just to register as Bobby Kotick and constantly leave messages on the forums like "my butt itches".

 

[Blue Musician]

I do not understand how this will work, but good luck Blizzard.

 

[Mechalemmiwinks]

The second someone get cyber bullied becuase of this. Blizzard going to have to pay through the nose on law-suits. Someone save this post it's coming and it's going to be costly.

I'm sure the blizzard forums will have some kind of legal mumbo-jumbo that you have to agree to before signing up.

Anyhow, you make a good point, I just hope your prophecy doesn't come to pass. If it does, then it will prove two things: one, you are right; two, Western law is a joke.

Western law is kinda ineffective. I mean, it's OK and all, but you can sue your way through any contract wording these days, making contracts somewhat ineffective.

 

[commasplice]

Snip.

I'm sorry, I know you said SOMETHING, but I couldn't hear it over the awesomeness of your avatar.

 

[Tekkawarrior]

People are going to get stabbed IRL on a monthly basis.

 

[Royas]

I'm not sure about that. I don't think you can be fired for playing wow and since a few million people do it. May be this opening of Wow, from a nerd-based-game towards more socially accepted phenomenons of the internet (like facebook), will cause society to think more positive about wow, or game in general.

So this developement might be wrong, but it could turn out contructive for gaming as a whole.

In most states in the USA, you can be fired for pretty much anything that isn't specifically protected (race, religion, etc). It's called "at will" employment, meaning you can quit anytime, and they can fire you at any time, for pretty much any reason. They don't like you supporting a particular politician? They can fire you. They don't like you playing WoW? They can fire you. And you have no recourse. That's one of the reasons career advisers recommend that you keep your personal life at work just that... personal.

That said, my days of posting at Blizzard are over with this Real ID thing... I have no interest in having all of my posts, both good and bad, coming up on a simple Google search for my name. I've been active on message boards since before there really was an Internet and I've managed to keep the number of hits on my actual name down to under 10 separate actual mentions, and I kind of like it that way.

 

[Arafiro]

(until an employer googles their name).

This is something quite significant that I hadn't actually thought of.
I'll admit, my real name isn't the biggest secret in the world given a short google search of my screenname, but the reverse isn't true.


Anyway, I really can't fathom what the point of this idea is. What will it solve exactly?

 

[StrangerQ]

i dont care here my real name : Antti Väänänen with friends only Väänäne ...

there go and try say my last name outloud? hard?
You know being Finnish and having name that most of people except from this charming northern country cant pronounce has its good sides... because you cant even try to look me from facebook thx fact that people dont know how to type Ä which happens to be default letter on finnish keyboards.
( Ä = A with umlaut)

try find me from FB or anywhere... my name is quite common in my family tree (we Väänänens are quite large family dating back to peasants who lived in 1660-1680)



what this has to do with Bnet forums showing who you are?
Elementary dear watson!

You cant bloody troll me if i troll you and only ones to pick me up from forums are my friends so no big deal...

if you are not comfortable or ready to use your real name in Forum but decide to hide behind only your nick...
i think you shold get more selfconfidence

I am StrangerQ or Antti Väänänen which ever you want to use

 

[MrTub]

Great.. since there is one person in the world with my name and that's me... And there is about seven people with my last name in the world so if anyone wanted to track me down it wouldn't be so hard.

 

[GothmogII]

I think that Ctrl Alt Deletes comic pretty much sums it up perfectly.

Spoiler

A CAD comic that was actually slightly funny? Tell me, has hell frozen over?

As for the real-id. I'll bet it'll be huge boon for employers. Now they don't have to wait for an employee to get sloppy and reveal that they play WoW. Err....huzzah?

 

[solidstatemind]

It's a very interesting move, and one I feel conflicted on because I can see both positives and negatives in it. At the very least, it's an intriguing experiment.

I can't say more, though, because I want to write my column about it for Monday.

As a fellow WoW'er, I'm looking forward to your thoughts, John.

Personally, I don't understand all the backlash. As some ppl have pointed out here, there are folks who reveal their real identities on blogs and the like all the time. Internet anonymity is commonly taken for granted, when the truth is, it shouldn't be. I have long been a very vociferous opponent of the people who like to be illogical, insulting, irritating ass-hats just because they have the veil of anonymity to avoid any consequences for their actions... so I totally understand the motivation behind what Blizzard is doing.

The bottom line: they feel (and this has been demonstrated in many sociological experiments to have some validity) that attaching accountability to what a person says will raise the level of discourse.

It's a noble goal, but will it succeed? Who knows. But the truth is, at this moment, we don't know what Blizzard has planned, really. We simply have the "Your real ID will have your real name" information. Thing is, you have to remember, Blizzard did not become THE most successful gaming company by being a bunch of dolts stumbling about. As a result, my bet is that there will be some serious revisions on their part before this is actually implemented, and that they will do their best to address all reasonable concerns on the part of reasonable customers.

Look, ultimately, if you're not comfortable with having your surname out there (and I'm not: only nine people in the WORLD have my last name), there is a very simple solution:

Don't post to the forums!

I've played WoW since closed beta, and I think I've posted on the forums like three times, total.

Thing is, I'm sure that Blizzard will end up implementing a 'compromise' system; at a guess, I would say they'll have 'public' forums, where people don't have to log in to post, and they can put up information like their character name and realm, and complete the transactions in anonymity, and they'll have 'private' forums, which require a Real-ID to participate in. While you'd still get the troll-tastic content in the public areas, it would still accomplish the goal Blizzard is striving for: a social environment where people can be held responsible for their behavior as an alternative to the insult-ridden garbage which is currently the only option available.

EDIT: I love how many people on these forums as well as the Blizzard forums labor under the delusion that they 'understand' what is 'going on' better than the people who Blizzard pays to perform this work. Seriously guys, do you really think somebody at Blizz just woke up one day and said "HEY! I kno! Let's require all of the people who post to our forums to use their real names! ITLL B GRATE!"

It might just be possible that they've invested a little more thought about this than you think...

 

[Roofstone]

I cant really make myself care, I will say though. I wont be posting in the forums anymore

 

[ANeM]

if you are not comfortable or ready to use your real name in Forum but decide to hide behind only your nick...
i think you shold get more selfconfidence

So your argument is that because you have a fairly common name for your region of the world, and one that is difficult to spell for people outside of your region, that I should feel okay disclosing my name. Oh, and that I'm a wimp otherwise.
Sorry but the fact of the matter is we can't all be our countries version of John Smith, and some of us really can't afford to put our names out there for everyone to see.