WoW players - Real ID

damaless · July 2010

What do you guys think of the new change Activision-Blizzard is intending to implement that makes it mandatory for your real name to be disclosed if you post on the official forums?

DFaught · July 2010

I hadn't heard about that but it sounds like crap.

damaless · July 2010

It's ridiculous. GG prospective employers/schools being able to google your name and find out you play WoW. Normally it would be none of their business because your real name isn't associated with it and therefore it can't reflect on them badly as a company or school. But now, they have a legitimate reason to avoid hiring someone who might want to get into a heated argument on the internet about paladin mechanics, for example.

DFaught · July 2010

Do you have a link for it or would it be on the website? (I haven't checked in a while)

DFaught · July 2010

NVM, just found it - reading now.

damaless · July 2010

http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/thread.html?topicId=25712374700&sid=1

Over 1500 pages in around a day and a half of it being posted. People bring up legitimate concerns for their safety, employment prospects, etc, and the blue posters basically have to state that they support the changes (or else they'd lose their jobs). As a female WoW player, I feel like I can never post on the forums again or else I risk harassment. If you search my full name on google, pretty much every single exact result is referring to me.

The scariest part of it is that when they implemented the OPTIONAL version of real ID in game, they specifically said that all it was ever intended for was for use with your real life friends that also play. Now they are claiming that they have been planning this change to posting on the forums for around a YEAR.

katiewhompus · July 2010

Wtf that's stupid, dangerous and a really bad move. It is way too easy for WoW enemies (my old server was rampant with them) to actually cross into real life if they do this. I know very many people who hated my ex and would not have hesitated to look him up on google (he had a unique name) and send Anthrax to him or something.

DFaught · July 2010

Yea...I'm not liking that idea.

"Removing the veil of anonymity typical to online dialogue will contribute to a more positive forum environment, promote constructive conversations, and connect the Blizzard community in ways they haven’t been connected before."

I don't see how giving out my real name automatically improves peoples attitudes on forums/in game. I've given my real FIRST name out to fellow guidies but never anything further than that.

My FI thinks it may just be those who are on your friends list are the ones who are going to be able to see it but that's not the way the blue post reads to me...

damaless · July 2010

No, it's definitely not just people on your friends list. That's what they ORIGINALLY claimed about the in-game version of it, but the new update to the forums is definitely talking about making it mandatory to reveal your first and last name to anyone who reads any post you make. I am seriously worried about how far they will take this. It seems like they blatantly lied about their intentions behind real ID when they implemented the in-game version, so who is to say that they aren't going to make a mandatory in-game version as well as on the forums? If it ever gets to the point where people can see my real name while I am running around or talking in-game, I am definitely done with this game. Which makes me really sad, because I really do enjoy playing WoW.

katiewhompus · July 2010

Actually I could have a lot of fun with this. My account is still in my ex's name (I got my sham to 60 on his account and didn't want to start over when we got me one) so anything I do would show up as him. *shifty eyes*

damaless · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:435f6aff-5250-43e6-8291-decd7cf0ef86">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]Actually I could have a lot of fun with this. My account is still in my ex's name (I got my sham to 60 on his account and didn't want to start over when we got me one) so anything I do would show up as him. *shifty eyes*
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

<div>Don't do it, there could be other people with the same name as him who might end up being the targets of harassment instead of the real him. :(</div>

katiewhompus · July 2010

Oh I wouldn't, it's just kind of fun to think about. Plus everyone knows my characters are me. Although there was crazy drama when I came back on after a year absence. Apparently there was a rumor that my ex had actually killed me and that he sold my account to another friend. Yeah...

damaless · July 2010

That is a pretty crazy rumour to go around. Creepy!

damaless · July 2010

So apparently now the rumour is that Blizzard representatives will not have to use their real names when they post, but players will. Unbelievable.

Anysunrise · July 2010

It doesn't bother me. None of my profiles come up in searches, my name is pretty common, etc etc. Won't stop me from posting, although it seems like I won't have much to post to.

Anysunrise · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:c3f50152-8acb-4ad5-aadb-13252e5d2172">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]So apparently now the rumour is that Blizzard representatives will not have to use their real names when they post, but players will. Unbelievable.
Posted by damaless[/QUOTE]

Not true. Blues have already posted saying they will, and they would have to post if that changed. I haven't checked it in the last couple of hours, but as far as I know, not true.

damaless · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:9f1134f7-aa76-4990-8185-5a852360e921">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WoW players - Real ID : Not true. Blues have already posted saying they will, and they would have to post if that changed. I haven't checked it in the last couple of hours, but as far as I know, not true.
Posted by Anysunrise[/QUOTE]

<div>CSR's talking with people on the phone trying to cancel their WoW subscriptions are claiming otherwise, unfortunately. Not sure who to believe at this point.</div><div>
</div><div>And to people who say it doesn't bother them because it doesn't personally affect their situation, doesn't it bother you on principal? There are PLENTY of people whose situations ARE being affected, including members of the military who play WoW during their free time who have serious security concerns over their real names being revealed. There is a history of their families being targeted if their personal information gets out to unfriendly people.</div>

J.T. · July 2010

I definitely think that this is a horrible idea, but I do think it would be awesome if instead of listing your real name it put a list of all of your alts in your profile or signature. That would help to cut down on trolls on the forums (though it wouldn't stop it completely of course).

I would guess that if they implement this, which I really hope they don't, they'll get rid of it within a couple of weeks because there will be a huge decrease in activity on their forums and they'll get a lot of complaints about harassment I'm sure. I've never posted on the forums, but this type of invasion of privacy would make me upset with Blizzard on principle alone. At least in game it's optional.

damaless · July 2010

There is MASSIVE negative feedback coming at them about this from players and the press release today is along the lines of "despite harsh player feedback, we're still going ahead with this." The "reducing trolling" excuse is very likely total fabrication, something that they can tell players instead of "we want to sell your personal info to ad companies for big bucks".

Anysunrise · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:6f5c984e-0e60-4981-b6a6-89f41d474b2b">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WoW players - Real ID : And to people who say it doesn't bother them because it doesn't personally affect their situation, doesn't it bother you on principal? There are PLENTY of people whose situations ARE being affected, including members of the military who play WoW during their free time who have serious security concerns over their real names being revealed. There is a history of their families being targeted if their personal information gets out to unfriendly people.
Posted by damaless[/QUOTE]

Posting on the forums is optional. You don't want your name out there, don't post. If it were in game as well, I'd have an issue with it, and I don't like it, but the fact of that matter is no one is FORCING you to post.

karagal · July 2010

it wouldn't matter to me, but privacy is very important. Even on facebook, I created a different last name so employers search and can't find me.

wadingmoose · July 2010

I don't post on the forums anymore. I used to long ago before I realized it was pointless. Their forums will die, but it doesn't affect me in game.

In game, I have only added people who I'm close with from the guild. Them having my full name isn't such a big threat when we meet for beers and all.

Plus, my name is pretty generic. Last time I googled myself - I was a goat and a university prof or something like that.

I'd almost be tempted to cancel my subscription, but, well I like the game, I like my guild and I don't really feel all that threatened by something I don't have to participate in. Is it a dumb move? Heck yeah.

Celles · July 2010

I'm a WoW blogger -- or was until recently, when I burnt out and stopped updating. I'm not a big name in the WoW universe, but I've been linked several times on WoW Insider and have enjoyed fairly steady traffic to my site.

If you look up my domain name in the WHOIS database, you'll have my full name, address and even cell phone number. I'm not all that concerned about Internet security: my personal information is already readily available to anyone who knows my domain name. [ETA: Unless you register through a proxy, i]t's public information.

That said, I think linking Real ID to our forum identities is a terrible idea. I don't care if someone who knows my WoW identity can trace it back to the real me. But I do care that potential employers can trace the real me back to my WoW identity. Does my boss need to know that I raid 15 hours a week and update my blog at 2 AM on a work night? No, not at all.

wadingmoose · July 2010

True enough Celles. I'm reading more about it and it just seems like a bad idea all around.

I'm not sure what they're planning to accomplish by doing this on their forums unless they want to kill their forums. And the whole facebook integration? Why?

Celles · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:583f02fb-8754-4a2e-afc6-1e698986e67e">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]True enough Celles. I'm reading more about it and it just seems like a bad idea all around. I'm not sure what they're planning to accomplish by doing this on their forums unless they want to kill their forums. And the whole facebook integration? Why?
Posted by wadingmoose[/QUOTE]

I don't get the Facebook integration, either. It seems like Blizzard is set on being the next big thing in social networking... but it's a video game company, not Facebook or Twitter. The business model is completely different.

This has epic fail written ALL over it.

J.T. · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:2e6c38d6-5381-4856-b327-3e156f4a687a">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]There is MASSIVE negative feedback coming at them about this from players and the press release today is along the lines of "despite harsh player feedback, we're still going ahead with this." The "reducing trolling" excuse is very likely total fabrication, something that they can tell players instead of "we want to sell your personal info to ad companies for big bucks".
Posted by damaless[/QUOTE]

That's sad. You would think that someone up in corporate would realize that losing players = losing money and that if no one posts on the forums they'll have no appeal to marketing companies. In the short term they might make a quick buck, but in the long run it will be more damaging. Look at the fire that Facebook came under recently for their privacy changes. Though I suppose the moral of that story is that Facebook didn't back down and people still use it....

damaless · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:7c584773-6f7a-4148-ad75-56b57c3e83ac">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WoW players - Real ID : Posting on the forums is optional. You don't want your name out there, don't post. If it were in game as well, I'd have an issue with it, and I don't like it, but the fact of that matter is no one is FORCING you to post.
Posted by Anysunrise[/QUOTE]

<div>Except that it's not just myself I am concerned about. People who are too young, too stupid, too ignorant or too uncaring (for NOW) will keep posting on the forums and bad things can happen to them, too. I will DEFINITELY not be posting on the forums at all after this change happens, but I don't think I can support a company that would do this to its customer base.</div>

wadingmoose · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:a7a94191-c266-4a19-8a6c-44bf0699be80">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WoW players - Real ID : I don't get the Facebook integration, either. It seems like Blizzard is set on being the next big thing in social networking... but it's a video game company, not Facebook or Twitter. The business model is completely different. This has epic fail written ALL over it.
Posted by Celles[/QUOTE]

Pretty much, which sucks because I love WoW. But I can see this making me drop my account.

damaless · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:d3a3174e-1098-41bd-97f0-fc9543d51f21">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]I don't post on the forums anymore. I used to long ago before I realized it was pointless. Their forums will die, but it doesn't affect me in game. In game, I have only added people who I'm close with from the guild. Them having my full name isn't such a big threat when we meet for beers and all. Plus, my name is pretty generic. Last time I googled myself - I was a goat and a university prof or something like that. I'd almost be tempted to cancel my subscription, but, well I like the game, I like my guild and I don't really feel all that threatened by something I don't have to participate in. Is it a dumb move? Heck yeah.
Posted by wadingmoose[/QUOTE]

<div>I'm happy for you that your name is generic and results won't lead people to you. But if they're psycho enough to try to go after you because you won an epic they wanted, do you think they'll really care that they can't for sure confirm that the Jane Doe whose address they CAN find on the internet is actually you?</div><div>
</div><div>Again, it's bigger than just what can happen to you or me. There are LOTS of people who (once this change happens) are basically forced into silence on the forums. But there's also plenty of reason to believe that this isn't the last step of what they're planning, if you take the time to read the latest EULA.</div><div>
</div><div>I'd also like to say that I was in a similar state of mind as yours when it was first announced. "Well, I think this is a dumb idea, but I can always just stop posting on the forums. I really like this game, so I doubt I'll quit over this." But then I spent more time thinking about it, and reading other people's concerns. At this point I don't even think it has to go any further than THIS change in order to be the last straw for me.</div>

Anysunrise · July 2010

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_etiquette_wow-players-real-id?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:9Discussion:6a7bbc5b-3516-4ed4-a40b-c7c511791fecPost:a844f8d7-19b8-4699-9ca6-98a883884dbe">Re: WoW players - Real ID</a>:
[QUOTE]In Response to Re: WoW players - Real ID : Except that it's not just myself I am concerned about. People who are too young, too stupid, too ignorant or too uncaring (for NOW) will keep posting on the forums and bad things can happen to them, too. I will DEFINITELY not be posting on the forums at all after this change happens, but I don't think I can support a company that would do this to its customer base.
Posted by damaless[/QUOTE]

The actual number of people who post on the forums is a relatively small percentage of the player base though. I didn't even know they existed until my second year of playing, I doubt the first three examples would be able to figure it out the majority of the time anyways. And the latter, well, that's their perogative, and IF something were to happen, it's on them.

I probably won't post on the forums anymore, but I pay my $15 a month to play the game regardless. Blizzard has done quite well by me on that part, and I'll be honest, that's all I really care about. It's unfortunate that it might happen, but if you really can't understand the giant warning that will pop up prior to posting (and I really don't think there's children playing this game that would be young enough not to, and if there are, like I said, probably won't figure out the forums themselves anyways), there isn't much help for you anyways.

damaless · July 2010

And if your account gets hacked and spams your real name all over the forums? Even if you have an authenticator to log in to WoW, you don't need it to log in to the forums. Then there's the fact that I highly doubt this will stop at the forums.

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