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Blizzard To Require Real First and Last Names For Official Forums
An anonymous reader writes "Recently, Blizzard Entertainment implemented a Real ID feature for some of its current games and all of its future Battle.net-based games. Today, Blizzard announced that it intends to require usage of the real names of Battle.net posters for its StarCraft II forums before release, and for its World of Warcraft forums shortly before the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. From the announcement: 'The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.'"
I'm assuming it's under the parents name for the account which should be a pleasant conversation at work when your boss asks you why you are trolling the warlock forum?
open source sub sim. I might start coding again for this. http://dangerdeep.sourceforge.net/contribute/
Real first and last name? Full, no initial? Not sure what I think about that one, Blizzard...
Living With a Nerd
Do you need some help? Everyone will know your real name.
Whale
Wonder how long it'll be until someone finally tracks down a troll (in real life) and loots their corpse
Images of the ending of Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back come to mind ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjWFZPJZTxU ).
:)
And those images are happy, indeed.
... with more and more people being forced to use their real names on the Internet, you'll see a lot less flaming, trolling, and defacing. People I believe will be less quick to turn a discussion into an argument and more interested in understanding one another.
However, I do not personally like the idea of my first and last name being made public everywhere, which is why I have generally shunned Facebook and would not use this feature even if I wanted to.
Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
What the consumer actually wanted - the ability to be The Real Them on Failbook, and Someone Completely Different while gaming - doesn't enter into it. *sigh*
My answer to this is the same as my answer to Failbook: a strange game, and the only way to win is not to play.
Now you bastards will know how it feels
- Johnathan Doe
Fortunately, my real name actually is KÖRGULL THE EXTERMINATOR, so I won't be needing to change my battlenet ID.
In the old EQ days (I know it's still around but who cares these days), all the forums for the game were run by the fans because there were no official ones. I have a feeling this change will cause similar forums to rise in popularity and Blizzard will accomplish little other than losing control of the conversation and pissing off their users.
Well, it has never been successfully tested.
5. People stop posting legitimate, intelligent useful feedback because they value their personal privacy more than a video game.
6. Without the constructive feedback, issues without the game go unnoticed or unreported for longer periods of time.
7. These issues compound and add up making the game less fun, but it becomes more difficult to quantify why the game is less fun without this feedback.
8. Subscriptions slowly drop off and the game trickles away and dies.
9. Long term loss of profit for short term, nearsighted gain.
While a lot of people have gone on and on about how using real names will promote more civility and better discourse, something I seriously doubt is necessarily true, that is no where near the real reason Blizzard is forcing RealID.
It's a means to open up their TOS to allow dataminers access to a vast swath of information. Cha ching! Add to that anyone in game using RealID that then links up friends list? Cha ching! Even more information to datamine. And of course anyone who has played WoW knows that they log damn near everything. You can bet that gchat, party chat, officer chat, raid chat, general chat, trade chat, and every other channel that you type a letter in will be up for datamining. Cha ching!
It's all about the money people. Cloaked in a flag of good intentions.
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
1) Did Blizzard ever stop to think that many (most?) people play their games as an ESCAPE from real life?
2) Anything on Blizzard forums goes on Google, and comes up in search results. That means anybody who uses their forums is going to be labeling themselves, forever after, as a nerdy computer game player to future employers, dates, etc...which is not something that is looked upon positively by many people. I would certainly discriminate against potential employees if I saw that they were a WoW geek.
3) People sometimes have bad days, say things they regret later...on a forum this is all saved forever. Luckily only the people who know their forum name can find it. So you protect your hidden identities more securely than you protect your email passwords. Blizzard aims to make all those mistakes unforgivable.
There is nothing that is possibly worth saying on the Blizzard forums that is worth sacrificing one's anonymity for.
I mean I completely agree, that if you remove the anonymity you'll remove a lot of the asshole factor online. People are much bigger pricks when they don't think it can come back to bite them. So it would remove a lot of that.
However it would also discourage people form sharing thoughts as freely. If I had to use my real name on Slashdot, I wouldn't post nearly as much. I'd make sure to restrict it only to things I was comfortable with all current and future employers seeing. I wouldn't want to screw myself out of a job because I posted something that someone disagreed with.
As it stands though, a pseudonym allows me to do that. It isn't true anonymity, with a bit of sniffing around you could easily come up with who I really am. However it means that a simple search for my real name will not come up with any of this. That is enough to keep it form being a problem. Just removing the direct connection is all I need.
Over all, I think it is good to have things that way. I like to be able to freely share my thoughts online, and I'd like to think some people find it valuable (on Slashdot people seem to at least sometimes as I do get modded up). I wouldn't want to have to restrict some of those because of the worry of retribution. I can only do that so long as I can have a small barrier between my real and online identity.
I've posted this else where today, might as well post it here. People are up in arms over this one, most people seem to think that they are safe and/or anonymous behind their chosen internet handle. However this is not the case. As a TF2 server Admin I have seen many trolls get blown away when their personal info is posted in response to their trolling posts. Just by Googling the Handle some people use, you can start to gather pieces of personal information, email, phone numbers, real names, places, jobs, etc can be found in a matter of minutes, one piece of information leading to another, which leads to another, and so on until you have a complete picture of someone. You are not now nor have you ever been anonymous on the internet. With this change, adults will be expected to act as adults. If you don’t want the public to know what you are up to, don’t post it on the public internet, it seems rather simple to me.
Is this going to tag a character on WoW Armory with the Real ID user name of the account holder?
It'd be awesome to find the names of an entire guild.
Worst damned idea ever Blizzard.
If you've ever been to the Blizzard forums then you'd know nothing of value was lost.
You insensitive clod! My name really is Leroy Jenkins
Hi, I Boris. Hear fix bear, yes?
No trolls here.
Hey, if you're browsing at -1, that's your problem, not Slashdot's.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
Imagine for a second a 42 year old lonely man (with very little social skills) playing World of Warcraft and he learns that Night Elf Rogue is actually a girl. They chat for a while and become friendly online. He starts to fixate and fantasize that those trips helping her level her alt are "dates" and eventually he falls in love with her. Or at least her character and voice.
Fixation turns into obsession and after a couple failed attempts to woo her into a real life relationship, she turns him down (hell, he's a creeper).
He gets upset and from the personal information he has gathered over their time "together" he is able to locate her using her _real_ name that Blizzard forces you to use (not a fictional "eName" you make up to give out on the intertubes to remain anonymous). Fill in the rest with your imagination.
Or, someone harasses you in game and you look to take revenge. Ninja looters, stealing quest mobs/items, kicking you from group/raid, etc. Maybe they simply want to threaten you (which already happens [NSFW] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUOI7BTmmk0 [NSFW]).
Of course, this can happen anywhere with any site that shows real names (facebook, etc). But forcing people to drop their anonymity is a bad thing overall. How many children play Blizzard's _games_ of which are going to be forced to link their, or more likely, their parents names to their account and be seen? It's not that hard to track someone down when you know their approximate location and their last name.
I guess the short is, anonymity can be bad. People act like punks and you have to put up with it from time to time, I know, it sucks. But the good part is, little Johnny potty mouth won't have to potentially pay with his life. Hopefully he learns to grow up on his own without someone like the chick from the link I posted above hunting him down.
I like how slashdot commenters love to use "won't somebody think of the children?!" as a device for sarcastic mockery of various Internet policies. Then this happens, and we get a thread full of ...
"But ... won't somebody think of the children?!"
If there are no girls on the internet now, there won't be any ever once this goes into effect.
There's no quicker way to be harassed, stalked, and otherwise massively annoyed by EVERYONE than to reveal that you are in possession of TWO X chromosomes, instead of the internet norm XY configuration.
And the absolute last thing I want is random assholes that I've pissed off on my server to Google my name, of which the first result is the staff listing on my current employer's website, and then start sending nasty emails to my boss.
While I think that overall this is a good thing for the Blizzard forums (as well as other changes they are making according to TFA, including rating up and down on posts), it completely removes my desire to post on their forums. I don't troll as a rule (but I can't say it’s never happened), but my last name is so unique that finding me on the Google is already ridiculously easy (my first and last name - all of the first page is me). I don't need prospective employers knowing about my gaming habits, and even less so prospective dates. Not that I go out of my way to hide these things from people, but I don't want it popping up as a matter of course just because someone googles my last name.
No trolls here.
Hey, if you're browsing at -1, that's your problem, not Slashdot's.
It's a shame that GP was modded down, because he proves a good point like many others who are modded down just because someone with mod points is unhappy with their opinion.
Trolling is a problem here still, and I'll probably be modded as one.
Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
what has me worried is that I rarely disclose that I'm female in WoW except to my guild... when other people find out they tend to be less than mature. I would rather not face a barrage of /tells and real_id friend requests from the "plz cyber?" crowd.
the preceding post was not spell checked... suck it.
By default it does not associate any post with a particular in-game character. So while they'd know you were female on the forums, there'd be no way to know that any given character belonged to you unless you choose to do so.
Wood Shavings!
- Godai
The only thing Blizzard is really able to "require" is that the names in the First Name and Last Name boxes on the site. That does not necessarily have any relationship to "real" first or last names. Even paying for the service can be done with someone else's credit card. So... Good Luck With That. Some will comply. Others will not.
But that's still backwards - my forum persona should be associated with my in-game character, not my real ID. Imagine for a moment this was some sort of role-playing game ... nah, too much of a stretch. For Starcraft, there have already been real life shootings in Korea - this isn't going to help things.
Why shouldn't I seperate my online persona(s) from my real life identity? What problem is Blizzard trying to solve here? I make it a point to avoid any forum identity that could be easliy traced back to my real name, because stuff comes back to haunt you. Do you really want somehting you said 20 years ago in some gaming forum to come up in a job interview?
Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
A female playing WoW?
I put on my robe and wizard hat
In short, this is being done by a ton of really bad people on the forums. This cannot be being proposed by the upper leadership as this has all sorts of legal implications.
If you have a problem with your forums, on such a large scale... it's EASY to fix.
Step 1:
Implement a ranking system. People can give you positive or negative bumps to your posts (think karma here). The longer someone holds an active rank the more "bump" they give to people. You have to be a member of the forum for at least 1 month before you can bump at all, and then give it a progressive growth scale of the strength of their "bump". (1-6 months: 1pt, 7months to 2 years: 5pt, 2+ 10pt).
Additionally, provide some incentive for activity on the forums by offering discounts of productions/services by maintaining a high activity and in good standing at certain intervals. For example "You've been active on our forums for over 6 months with a great rank! We want to thank you for contributing to our community by offering you 25% off any of our old games... or a $5 credit on your next bill!". The overall cost to blizzard is dirt cheap.
Step 2:
Ensure that someone has to been active (logging in) to keep their rank or they start over. You can figure out that time table
Step 3:
If a user gets below a certain rank they are auto silenced. They cannot post anymore but can submit for a review of their "silencing" in case of some exploitation. This is highly unlikely since to even bump you have to be a member for quite some time.
BENEFITS
- Trolls get silenced pretty damn quick
- The community monitors itself with minimal administrative intervention
- You get certain individuals who become leaders in the community from their rank
- People feel rewarded for contributing
I think the only positive thing Blizzard will get from this is less traffic on their official forums.
I can only hope that Blizzard will catch on to the outrage of this. I won't stop playing, but I'll stop using their forums. All of those useful posts I've made in the past will no longer continue to happen, including anything I've said that was inflammatory. The good posts I've made outweigh the ones where I put up bounties on people on my faction, trashed someone, etc.
I'll be posting on Elitist Jerks or some other forum for anything involving my class or endgame content. For discussing realm matters, I just won't post anymore.
Posts not to be taken literally. Almost everything is sarcasm.
In a case like that, sure. Though actually in a case like that I'd make sure to get myself fired over a voting issue and then sue the fuck out of them. The voting booth is a pretty sacred right in the US and termination over it would be bad cause in every jurisdiction I'm aware of.
However what I'm worried about is a case of people who generally aren't like that, they aren't the "Everyone must agree with us in every way," sort, but that they happen to see something that they decide makes them say no.
You hear about this all the time, people post Facebook pictures of themselves at a wild party in university and find it hurts jobs later. It usually isn't that the folks doing the hiring are Puritans or anything, they are just dumbasses. They did the same kind of shit themselves when they were young but have conveniently forgotten about it. They think "Well this sort of thing doesn't reflect well for our company," and give the person a miss.
In my case, what I might be worried about is that I've posted stories about my work environment. Now I've never named my employer, mostly because that comes too close to making it too easy to identify me, but still. I'm not worried now, I work for a public institution and thus I have a right to do it (HR specifically says so) as the tax payers have a right to know. But at some time in the future I go for another job and maybe that company thinks "Well we like the guy, but he talks about his employer online. We really don't want that, have to give him a miss."
I just find it better that there is a barrier between my real name and what I post online. Not a strong or impenetrable one, but one that if you Google my name, you do not get results of what I've said in forums.
OK, then be sure to let us, the users know the REAL NAMES of the moderators, business managers, sales staff, marketing gurus of your business and I am sure that openness will be embraced by all!
People with very common names will not be impacted in the same way that people with less common names. Real names are non-unique. How does this help? cf. TSA "no-fly" list.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
His point is that, unless you're trying to read the trolls/flamebaits, you won't.
Sadly, though, he had to feed a troll to make it. Now I'm offtopic. :/
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
I think posting a person's real name is a great idea. I'd never get embarassed by having my real name associated with some lame username that I picked over 10 years ago.
Go not unto/. for advice, for you will be told both yea and nay (but have nothing to do with the question)
Go die in a fire.
RUGBYRUGBYRUGBY
You actually get that? I'm female and play WoW, and those episodes have been so few and far between it wasn't worth worrying. Although my guild leader did want nekkid pics.
Why shouldn't I seperate my online persona(s) from my real life identity? What problem is Blizzard trying to solve here?
The Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory. People are less likely to act like an asshole if they don't have anonymity to hide behind. The only people who will be idiots any more are those who are idiots already.
Another example of a game using real names is iRacing, though real names are used throughout the game, instead of just on the forums. Again, the idea is to discourage anti-social behavior (intentional wrecking, profanity, etc), and this is part of their aggressive policing against griefers. In this case, such a prevention is especially necessary for a racing game of this type. I don't frequent the Blizzard forums, so I'm not sure if there are enough douchebags there to justify such measures.
I make it a point to avoid any forum identity that could be easliy traced back to my real name, because stuff comes back to haunt you. Do you really want somehting you said 20 years ago in some gaming forum to come up in a job interview?
In that case, either:
1) Don't be a jack-ass on the Blizzard forums.
2) Don't use the Blizzard forums.
That said, I've given my screen name which I've used for the last decade as part of a background check for an interview, so I'm well aware of the issue. However, nothing I said in the past (I've said a lot of stupid stuff) was an issue. If it is a concern to you, don't use the forums (it's an optional part of an optional game you play, you can deal with it), or simply police your behavior before it is recorded for all posterity on the Intertubes.
Write your representatives! Repeal the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics!
I make it a point to avoid any forum identity that could be easliy traced back to my real name, because stuff comes back to haunt you. Do you really want somehting you said 20 years ago in some gaming forum to come up in a job interview?
In that case, either: 1) Don't be a jack-ass on the Blizzard forums. 2) Don't use the Blizzard forums.
That said, I've given my screen name which I've used for the last decade as part of a background check for an interview, so I'm well aware of the issue. However, nothing I said in the past (I've said a lot of stupid stuff) was an issue. If it is a concern to you, don't use the forums (it's an optional part of an optional game you play, you can deal with it), or simply police your behavior before it is recorded for all posterity on the Intertubes.
It'd be safer to do the second option. While your first suggestion is good, times change. What's fine now may not be 20 something years down the road (or even next week). Today's upright, model citizen can be dragged through the mud later on without any misspeaks if future interpretations or values change enough.
"Common sense will be the death of us all"
The problem is that the degree to which anyone is deterred will be determined by how concerned they are about their online image. People with careers and families will be even more cautious, and probably less like to contribute to a discussion. 13-y.o. dickheads will go right on being dickheads, because they have nothing to lose and it will be several years before they are in any position to worry about an online reputation. So, people who are most likely to say something worthwhile are the most likely to be silenced by lack of anonymity.
Comment removed based on user account deletion
My guess is that they will link it to a name on a Credit Card account.
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
I sympathize with Blizzard's desire to want to make the forums a more constructive and friendly environment,
I haven't been on the Blizzard Fora for years, but my last experience of it was a few years up until they finally killed of the last forum for Diablo I.
I can tell you exactly what Blizzard could have done to make that forum more constructive and friendly. They could have actually dropped in once in a while to moderate it.
There was a group of a dozen or so forum regulars who had been there essentially since forever. These people were a very close-knit group, and esentially saw the forum as their own.
Anyone new who dropped in and said, well, really anything was immediately treated to a spiel about how the regulars expected them to behave (over and above the actual rules of the forum), and woe betide aynone who said anything which the regs disapproved of, or told them what they though of 'extra' rules.
Anyone who dared to argue with them, or the accepted wisdom of the forum, or tell them that they were wrong would bring the whole wrath of the pack down on themselves. They would then usually be accused of being 'defensive'.
In short, the forum regulars were self-appointed moderators, who used a general barrage of unpleasantness to drive out anyone who they disapproved of. Most newcomers quickly realised that it wasn't worth hanging around and were never heard from again. Personally I hung around just to prove that I wasn't going to be beaten by them.
Now, the point of my telling that story is this. That could have been snuffed out YEARS before the forum was finally killed if a few Blizzard people had occassionally dropped in and swiftly dealt with the people who were under the false impression that it was their forum. A user with a blue username saying "This is our forum, not yours. You do not own, run or moderate it; please stop acting like you do" sufficiently early on might have stopped it entirely and prevented these people from getting too big for their boots.
FGD 135
Blizzard just lost my subscription. I WAS going to re-activate my WoW account and purchase Cataclysm when it came out. Unless these changes are reversed, I'm not going to do that. I do NOT want my real name associated and easily searchable by my in-game actions. I might as well name all my in-game characters as my real name and be done with it, because that is what will happen anyway.
A way to differentiate between the real girls and the guys playing female characters
Yes I am sure Leslie, Alex and Sam will turn out to be just what you dreamed of...
Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.