Blizzard is "Definitely Listening" to Real ID Feedback

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Blizzard is "Definitely Listening" to Real ID Feedback


Blizzard Entertainment [http://www.blizzard.com] says it's "definitely listening" to feedback about the new Real ID system for the Battle.net forums, but don't hold your breath waiting for the company to change its mind.

The outrage that greeted Blizzard's decision to "Battle.net [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101916-Blizzard-Forums-Make-Real-Names-Mandatory] forums was entirely predictable. It's not nearly as easy to act like a jerk, after all, when you're not protected by an impenetrable cloak of virtual invisibility. Which is obviously the whole point of the exercise, but the impending loss of their secret identities has an awful lot of gamers up in arms.

Blizzard has noticed and is "definitely listen to player feedback," a rep told Gamasutra [http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/29325/Blizzard_Were_Definitely_Listening_To_Player_Feedback_On_Real_ID.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GamasutraNews+%28Gamasutra+News%29]. "[We] will be carefully monitoring how people are using the service. Real ID is a new and different concept for Blizzard gamers - and for us as well - and our goal is to create a social gaming service that players want to use."

"It's important to note that both enabling Real ID in game and posting on the official Blizzard forums are completely optional," the rep continued. "Players can continue to read the forums anonymously regardless of whether they choose to post in them, and their gameplay experiences will not change if they choose not to use the Real ID communication features in game."

The use of Real ID doesn't actually require a real name at all, as gamers can register whatever name they want when they sign up. But each game's CD key will be tied to whatever name is used and the rep warned that "multiple teams" on the forums will be on the lookout for fake-sounding names.

"In addition, our Terms of Use agreement requires that players provide us with accurate information, as certain aspects of the customer service we provide (for example, addressing forgotten-password issues) rely on identity verification," the rep noted. "If a player uses a fake name, it would ultimately impact our ability to provide him or her with timely service."

The use of Real ID will become a requirement in the Cataclysm [http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dvideogames&field-keywords=%22StarCraft+2%22&x=0&y=0] expansion.


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JEBWrench

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Apr 23, 2009
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Aha. So if I want to get into the Blizzard forums, I just need to claim my name is something realistic sounding. Like Andy Chalk?
 

Bigeyez

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Apr 26, 2009
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JEBWrench said:
Aha. So if I want to get into the Blizzard forums, I just need to claim my name is something realistic sounding. Like Andy Chalk?
I believe that we'll soon find out that Barack Obama and Justin Bieber just love posting on the WoW forums.
 

Jack and Calumon

Digimon are cool.
Dec 29, 2008
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They won't be listening for long. In fact, I believe it's safe to say that they should be deaf if they were listneing.

Calumon: People complain about the silliest things!
 

LawlessSquirrel

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Jun 9, 2010
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I still disagree with the decision, but I guess it won't affect me much if I don't use their forums, which this system seems to be telling me not to if I like my privacy. Which I do.

As long as it's entirely optional in the games I guess I'm fine with it on a personal level.

Jack and Calumon said:
Team Calumon > Team Edward!
Sign me up!
 

ShadowKatt

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Mar 19, 2009
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I shall be Napoleon Boned-apart. Just because I failed to capture and hold Russia doesn't mean I can't play Red Alert 3.

...Oh, it does? Well damn.
 

Keava

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Mar 1, 2010
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The one thing i cannot comprehend, why use RealID in such form if they are already aware that people will use fake names? What's the point? I mean, they could just make it so you pick up a single, unique ScreenName ot be displayed at your posts, and use that ScreenName as your all around battle.net identifier.
That would retain the whole idea of easily managing your user base while not exposing anyones private information to public.

"Players can continue to read the forums anonymously regardless of whether they choose to post in them, and their gameplay experiences will not change if they choose not to use the Real ID communication features in game."
So let me get this straight. Im posting my name to public, and anyone bored enough can see it without having to register just by browsing those forums. Then again, it may ruin all the personal information trading, now all that marketing companies will have to do is browse battle.net forums.
 

JEBWrench

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Apr 23, 2009
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Bigeyez said:
JEBWrench said:
Aha. So if I want to get into the Blizzard forums, I just need to claim my name is something realistic sounding. Like Andy Chalk?
I believe that we'll soon find out that Barack Obama and Justin Bieber just love posting on the WoW forums.
Well, we already knew that was true. I just wonder which ones will be the real ones.

Kwil said:
JEBWrench said:
Aha. So if I want to get into the Blizzard forums, I just need to claim my name is something realistic sounding. Like Andy Chalk?
No.. it needs to sound realistic. :)
You know how those dang foreign names are. "Andy"?? Psh.
 
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Abedeus

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"In addition, our Terms of Use agreement requires that players provide us with accurate information, as certain aspects of the customer service we provide (for example, addressing forgotten-password issues) rely on identity verification," the rep noted. "If a player uses a fake name, it would ultimately impact our ability to provide him or her with timely service."
Unless Herbert von Gildenstern's password "Humptydumpyramus" gets lost somehow, I don't see how someone's name is relevant to recovering that password.
 

itf cho

Custom title? Bah! oh wait...
Jul 8, 2010
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Jeeesh. What a truly awful idea. And all because they think people will not be such big a**hats if they need to use a real name?

signed

Jason Bourne, err... I mean, George Bush... no, Neil Patrick Harris... ahhh, Lindsey Lohan... no, not that desparate, I know...

signed
-Paul Sams
CEO, Blizzard
 

Arec Balrin

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Feb 26, 2010
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During the SC2 beta they disabled the normal friends-list because no one wanted to use RealID, so they decided to force players to because they needed to collect at least some data on it. They got all the data they needed, the verdict: people hate RealID. And Facebook.
 

DTWolfwood

Better than Vash!
Oct 20, 2009
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"It's important to note that both enabling Real ID in game and posting on the official Blizzard forums are completely optional," the rep continued. "Players can continue to read the forums anonymously regardless of whether they choose to post in them, and their gameplay experiences will not change if they choose not to use the Real ID communication features in game." <<< i fall under that catagory. Therefore i am not affected. I never posted on the Official forums for anything other than asking for help.

While i think its a stupid idea, i really don't care in the end.
 

Verbal Samurai

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Dec 2, 2009
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I had to cancel my account. I run a local business and I don't want people googling my name for business purposes and having WoW information show up.

I know this is supposed to be "optional" but the forums are sometimes required by customer service/technical support. Also, Blizzard specifically said RealID was strictly for people you know and trust in real life. Then, less than a month later, they want to do a complete 180 and post your real name all over the internet. I don't believe that RealID will stop at the forums so I'm not going to invest any more of my money or limited free time on it.
 

Optional Opinion

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Dec 29, 2008
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So now we can google someone's name and see if they play World of Warcraft or other Blizzard games, that sounds terrible.

Can we not have secret guilty pleasures?
 

DTWolfwood

Better than Vash!
Oct 20, 2009
3,716
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Verbal Samurai said:
I had to cancel my account. I run a local business and I don't want people googling my name for business purposes and having WoW information show up.
heres a good example of y the system is stupid :D
 

Wardnath

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Dec 27, 2009
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Meh, I'll just use a pseudonym.

Plus I've been meaning to get another account anyway. :p