Real ID edges its way into Blizzard Forums

[Demolition]

Well in all honesty this is the future of social networking. They should just display the first name and last initial.

Networking and entertainment are 2 different things. If I want to meet new friends I go outside. If I want to relax after a stressful day or just escape reality for a little while, I play a game. I do not wish to mix the 2. Yes I do play with friends, and yes I do play MMOs to make friends. I like very much the freedom to choose who I reveal my real name to, not be forced into it. Seriously if I told any of you my real name right now you could literally track me down to my current town and address with the link I posted above. And while I'm sure none of you would have malicious intent in mind, others may not be so lucky.

This is a seriously bad idea. Just knowing my name and address someone could go from stalking to tracking down my soc security and comiting identity theft. I will pretty much refuse to post on Blizzard forums period if they do this. Not to mention strongly consider boycotting their games just to avoid worrying about that crap.

[Tivia]

Well in all honesty this is the future of social networking. They should just display the first name and last initial.

No, this most certainly is not. Attempting to force people to display their real information in a game forum has no chance of good coming from it. There are no positives to this sorry to say. Any potential positive benefit they thought they might gets, can be better done another way. The negatives about this heavily outweigh everything.

[nyke]

With only the last initial displaying it makes it harder to track people down. I know cuz my father was a popo for 32 years. I ain't for the change but if they are going to do it they should not display the full last name.

Fact is that gaming companies see an opportunity to dip into the social media network they are going to. It is to much money not to. When MMO's first came out you did not have a player base forum. Now that blizzard has an opportunity to mix gaming and social media networking it can make it huge. Imagine linking facebook with blizzard.

[spyd]

This change doesn't seem like a big deal to me, at all... that's just me though.

[Darkeros]

With only the last initial displaying it makes it harder to track people down. I know cuz my father was a popo for 32 years. I ain't for the change but if they are going to do it they should not display the full last name.

Fact is that gaming companies see an opportunity to dip into the social media network they are going to. It is to much money not to. When MMO's first came out you did not have a player base forum. Now that blizzard has an opportunity to mix gaming and social media networking it can make it huge. Imagine linking facebook with blizzard.

Sorry squeezing every penny out of something is just wrong. If this is the new corporate motto well they have gone to far. After reading this anyone that would buy a blizzard product is just a lemming anyway imo. They make enough money shit. The if something isn't growing its dying attitude is what has sucked all the jobs out of the country.

http://hothardware.com/News/Activisi...-Happy-People/

Quoted the most obvious:
The CEO's long-term vision, in his own words, is to instill the corporate culture with "skepticism, pessimism, and fear...We are very good at keeping people focused on the deep depression." You'd think the man might've learned his lesson when indivuals and press organizations decried his plan to strictly focus on games that "have the potential to be exploited every year on every platform with clear sequel potential and have the potential to become $100 million dollar franchises." Evidently not. In Bobby's world, the best games are produced when every employee is in a constate state of fear, projects are always on the brink of being killed, the ability to generate profit is the only yardstick by which an employee's value is measured, and—let's not forget—making video games is not fun.

[nyke]

I agree with you Dakeros but its business. Corperations care about money, small business care about people. Blizzard has far outgrown its small company and this shows that.

[Cel]

Corporations are a single minded machine expressly created to generate revenue. Hell in legal terms it's an artificial person created with the mandate to do just that.

[Notso]

Asking for help in the forums involves using your real name? Seems like overkill. Making a suggestion about the game, reporting a bug about the game, requires your real name to be displayed? Seems like overkill. Sure, whats anyone going to do with my name? Probably nothing. Im the only person in the country with this name though (i kid you not) so Im not hard to find and that alone creeps me the fuck out.

Sure, I don't have to post in their forums, none of us do, but how long is it going to be before someones exposed name is used for harm? Not long at all. There are multiple examples already on the thread of Blizzard Employees looked up and pictures of their houses and spouses showing up. I won't do anything with that information. You aren't going to do anything with that information. The crazy guy 2 doors down from me? He is sharpening his knifes now because he thinks Warriors should have a 100% MS and that damn Dev he was talking to in the Warrior forums wont give him what he wants.

Sounds pretty crazy to me. On the otherhand, Blizzard forums may turn into a bright shining light on the horizon where reasonable, intelligent conversation takes place. Also where that other account I have (under someone elses name) will troll the ever loving fuck out of every toolbag I see.

[Cel]

Yeah Nottso, far as I can tell I'm the only living person in the US with my name either...google will turn up another who's dead...my great grandfather who I'm named after >.>

[Notso]

I just don't see an upside to this other than maybe saving money on their forums? As someone put it "monetizing personal information" is their goal.

[Darkeros]

Its money related. While I can't predict the future I am positive that this move puts them in a better financial position either immediately or further down the road. In the meantime, they pit gamer vs gamer in the right of privacy to obscure what their true motivation is.

[Kinetic]

That reminds me, I have an account that was given to me that still sits under the original owner's name. This should be fun...

[Darkeros]

I just don't see an upside to this other than maybe saving money on their forums? As someone put it "monetizing personal information" is their goal.

Could be a move to launch there own digital distibution center. Or selling personal information --maybe forum names are outside the security that has to be guaranteed for peoples accounts. It just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Blizzard aint my buddy or my friend --I love how they sell this thing like they are doing you a great service the bigger the line of BS the more suspicious I become.

[govtcheeze]

This is fantastic:

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/th...d=1&pageNo=882
People decided to show a blue poster just what you can find out by just knowing someones name on the internet...address! Phone! Pictures! facebook (which he had to delete...) Absolutely brilliant.

solid gold post, how do they expect their employees NOT to be targets?

[govtcheeze]

This may also just be a marketing ploy. I mean, everyone is talking about it. They pull the plug at the eleventh hour and people every where go YEAH! and Bliz looks like a customer caring company all the while they got massive press and people talking about sc2.

Smart imo, if this is the direction they were going.