Blizzard Forums Make Real Names Mandatory

[Therumancer]

I believe anonimity is one of the big advantages of the internet. Also I can't see how Blizzard feels this will help anything since they can already identify and delete/lock out accounts, it's not like they need anything else.

I don't use their forums too often as it is, but this makes it more likely that I'll just go somewhere else. I don't troll, but I prefer to use my handle.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

I don't really go in much for revealing my real name online, and while there are in fact pages where you can find me posting using my real name and a search for my identity will turn up details like family members, my address, etc, the odds of anyone knowing that data represents me without already knowing it represents me are staggering.

See, typing my name into Google turns up a ton of hits: only one of those is me. Pages that might contain lots of info about me will also be full of extraneous information about other people that share my name - you'll find blogs, articles, facebook pages, photobucket accounts and pictures, etc, and they're all the wrong person; if all you're armed with is a name, you're probably not going to pick the right one.

Search for this username and you'll turn up several pages of results that are in fact me, but my actual real life identity can't really be used to track me down unless you already know enough about me to do that regardless - there's just too much extraneous data to narrow down which is correct if all you know is my real name.

I would really rather keep it that way, so I'm glad I don't have an account on Blizzard's forums or any reason to create one.

 

[DonTsetsi]

So what about free professions? I am studying architecture. Many of my future clients will find me (or at least check on me) on the internet. I don't want my hobby to be a deciding factor, not even for 1% of my potential clients.

 

[Sartan0]

Thankfully I never really used the Blizzard forums even when I was playing WoW for years. I sure as heck am not going to start now.

 

[RaikuFA]

heres another solution...

ban these trolls. theyre causing problems, ban them

 

[Keava]

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.

See that is the problem and whole failure of the very idea. It will discourage people form using official forums. Plenty of people contributed there in a positive way and now, if they don't want to share their full names, they have to stop being helpful on official game forums.It is the bad kind of "Thank You for keep the community alive" by Blizzard.
Why not remove the forums all together then? If its just cesspool for trolls and angry kids, get rid of the problem in 100%. Force people to use actually moderated, fan forums as apparently with whole money Activision-Blizzard has, they couldn't for over 5 years keep their own forums in check. I posted on server, realm, class and raid forums a lot in my days, helping people out, explaining mechanics they had problems with or just creating community content. With the RealID rules, i wouldn't do it anymore.

As you said yourself, internet is already full fo privacy breaches, i don't see how a service i pay for should just make yet another breach.

I knew it was somewhat coming sooner or later, ever since FarmVille success Activision heads were talking how community sites are gathering more and more crowd. One decision led to another and now it takes a form of forcing people to be part of project if they want a full access to service tools.

Thing is i don't like sharing my personals with people i don't know. It sure feels creepy when someone suddenly whispers you with your real name, and you have no idea who the hell is he.

 

[Worgen]

the only way I can see this working is if they also post your address and the location you sleep at night

 

[Fearzone]

It sucks, it's a dumb idea, everything Hitler said in the video above was right--I don't want people being able to Google my videogame habits either.

But then again, in all of my World of Warcraft time, I don't think I posted on the Blizzard forums even once. In any case I sent in more bug reports than forum posts.

 

[StrangerQ]

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

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.

Why in bloody hell someone cant afford to put their name on display? because they are numberone target to irl troll killer? people will tease people they dont like in their FB or kind?

tell me if you havent done anything that would affect opinions ... WHY?

and for record my name is not even close to John Smith... and not even close being "common" name

 

[veloper]

Great bloody idea Blizzard

-savvy users will use fake IDs

-the trolls will have more ways to mess with less savvy people on the forums

-spammers and advertisers will harvest personal data

 

[Rusty Bucket]

As a sign of good will, one the Blizzard staff members posted his own name in a thread about this on the Blizzard forums. Within minutes, people were posting his age, the names and ages of various family members, his adress, his phone number, his e-mail, facebook and the fact he appears to live with his mother. Basically they found pretty much everything they needed to to pull some serious shit. This is not a good idea, at all.

 

[PlasticTree]

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

Thanks. I copypasted it out of that videoclip a year or three ago, and it still suits me perfectly. Most people only see a guy on a lamppost, but that doesn't make it less awesome to me. Also, in all that time you're the second one who recognizes it (or at least who tells me he did), so bravo to you.

 

[Aenir]

...

This was the closest thing to making me not play it.

It might have stopped me from buying it outright, but I already pre-ordered. Note to self: Pre-order less.

 

[tehroc]

I actually think this has little to do with cracking down on their forums. Blizzard has a massive fan base and is actively trying to tie all their games and communities together into a single experience.

I think Blizzard is trying to create a social networking space from all their pieces. There is a lot of money to be had if they can leech people away from Facebook, Myspace, etc.

Blizzard has already arranged a partnership with Facebook. This is entirely 100% about selling your personal information to marketers.

 

[Aenir]

I actually think this has little to do with cracking down on their forums. Blizzard has a massive fan base and is actively trying to tie all their games and communities together into a single experience.

I think Blizzard is trying to create a social networking space from all their pieces. There is a lot of money to be had if they can leech people away from Facebook, Myspace, etc.

Blizzard has already arranged a partnership with Facebook. This is entirely 100% about selling your personal information to marketers.

Sounds fishy without a link, but with the recent events, I wouldn't be too surprised.

I'm going to go ahead and assume you weren't in beta. They implemented a function that lets you import facebook friends into SC2.

 

[Archemetis]

I honest to God, don't know what change this will make...
I mean I'm pretty open about who I am and use my real name quite often on forums, Like most people here on the escapist probably know by now that my real name is Graham Shine

Does that stop me from posting stupid replies to things?
No.

It wouldn't stop me from saying stupid things in real life either...
But still.

Just 'cos their names are there doesn't mean they have anything more to fear...
Unless you get the over-the-top over sensitive user who'll be offended enough to search for your address using your name and hunt you down...

I have no doubts some internet users are that petty.

 

[Silk_Sk]

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.

Already happened. One of the mods posted his real name to try and ease people into the idea. Minutes later he'd been tracked down and all his personal info was made public. You can guess where it went from there.