Blizzard forums to require real names

By Oli Welsh Published 7 July, 2010

Storm of protest over Battle.net Real ID.

Blizzard has unleashed a hurricane of internet rage by announcing that it will require users to post under their real names on its forums, in a move intended to create a more "positive", "constructive" community.

The change, announced on the Battle.net forum, will come into effect for StarCraft II forums before the game's release at the end of this month. World of Warcraft forums will follow suit "near the launch of Cataclysm", the third expansion pack for the MMO which is expected to launch at the end of this year.

Anyone posting or replying to a post on these forums will have to use their Real ID - their real first and last name, as registered with their Battle.net account. Existing posts will remain as they are.

"The official forums have always been a great place to discuss the latest info on our games, offer ideas and suggestions, and share experiences with other players - however, the forums have also earned a reputation as a place where flame wars, trolling, and other unpleasantness run wild," Blizzard offered in explanation of the change.

"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."

Although some have welcomed the move, it has sent a shockwave of protest through Blizzard's community. At time of writing, the threads on the subject on the European and North American WOW forums run to 119 and an astonishing 861 pages respectively, with those numbers rising by the minute.

"Keep in mind that posting is optional, and we recognise that some players will choose not to utilize the Real ID feature in game or post on the forums and support everyone's individual choice on using or not using it," community manager Nethaera - real name unknown, for now - posted in response to complaints. Parents will be able to disallow children from posting by using parental account controls.

Part of Blizzard's major overhaul of its Battle.net online framework, use of Real ID is optional in the developer's games. It provides a way to link characters and game accounts under a single identity, and keep track of friends by mutual agreement, in the style of social networking sites like Facebook.

"With the launch of the new Battle.net, it's important to us to create a new and different kind of online gaming environment - one that’s highly social, and which provides an ideal place for gamers to form long-lasting, meaningful relationships. All of our design decisions surrounding Real ID - including these forum changes - have been made with this goal in mind," Blizzard said.

"As the way gamers interact with one another continues to evolve, our goal is to ensure Battle.net is equipped to handle the ever-changing social-gaming experience for years to come."

Although popularised by Facebook, Blizzard's move away from anonymity is unprecedented in gaming, and still extremely rare in the general area of internet community management. There's no doubt it's brave, but will it have the desired effect on its community, or kill it altogether? Does it pose a threat to the protection of your privacy or identity? Let us know your thoughts - under whatever username you choose - in the comments.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (96) Latest comment 5 months ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Der_tolle_Emil #1 2 years ago

    Absolutely stupid decision. There are so many things that can and will go wrong.

    What I find even more criminal is that there will be a lot of users who are not aware of how irresponsible and outright dangerous it can be to publish personal details (even if it is only the name) on such a frequented website. It should be Blizzard's responsibility to clearly state the risks of posting in their forum but I'm afraid this will not happen.

    It has been a pseudo standard for the last 30 years not to use real names in the internet. Why does Blizzard think they know better and need to change that now? The disadvantages and risks outweigh the advantages by far.

  • Goodfella #2 2 years ago

    Internet rage. Hahahaahaaa!

  • Byblos1 #3 2 years ago

    I wonder how many 'female' posters will stop visiting the WoW forums when Cataclysm launches?

  • Goodfella #4 2 years ago

    @ Milky

    Peter File would be better.

  • Nuronv #5 2 years ago

    I wonder how many posters there will be at all, I think this will be terminal for many if it goes ahead

  • Haloboy #6 2 years ago

    What the squiggly fuck Blizzard!?

  • ignatiusjreilly #7 2 years ago

    Agreed. Yes it will probably help cut down on the flaming and trolling, but the disadvantages far outweigh any benefits. If more aggressive moderation is needed so be it, but the idea that you have to tell millions of strangers your real name to make comments on a video game basically goes all the norms of the internet.

    I'm pretty gobsmacked they've made this decision TBH.

    Edit: A Blizzard employee posted his real name on the forums to try and alleviate people's fears. Predictably, within minutes people had his address, his phone number, the names of his parents and lots of photos and other personal information: http://wo wriot.gameriot.com/blogs/Americ...
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 09:27

  • ZeroAX #8 2 years ago

    yes blizzard make it even easier for child molesters to stalk their prey. Cause you know, noooooo one will think of checking a player's name on Facebook.

    Specially if it's a girl. Nope. No one will eeeeeeeeever think of searching for her on Facebook to see if she's hot and ZOMG plays WoW.

  • ZeroAX #9 2 years ago

    Another really good example on why this is such a bad idea, employers google search those applying for a job. And believe me video games, and specially wow, aren't exactly something you'd put on your resume. So that might screw you over.

    Also another really important aspect, how many times have we heard of Koreans killing each other over virtual items? You think it's going to be long before someone ganks(corpse camps) a player in WoW and that player being unstable tracks the guy down and kills him? Or ninja's getting killed for stealing an item they didn't need? These extreme examples HAVE happened and will only get worse with things like this.

  • X3Entente #10 2 years ago

    the internet of the future:
    - Every citizen is issued a single online ID like a national insurance number by the government
    - facebook will have quasi-judicial powers
    - all online accounts must be linked to facebook
    - avatars must be biometric passport photos

  • Haloboy #11 2 years ago

    A Blizzard employee posted his real name on the forums to try and alleviate people's fears. Predictably, within minutes people had his address, his phone number, the names of his parents

    How fucking dumb do you have to be to work at Blizzard? This dumb. You don't even have to understand how to make love.

  • gggames.se #12 2 years ago

    If people buy into this, it really shows how far we've come in disrespecting privacy. Wow... This is really bad, and the logic just isn't there.

  • dylman #13 2 years ago

    This is a mind bendingly stupid move by Blizzard. It disenfranchises the (genuinely) female players, many of whom rely on anonymity to be able to play free from harassment, and it will do very little to foster a "positive forum environment". Trolls and fuckwits are rampant in Facebook groups, where they post with far less anonymity. It will be the same here. Sigh.

  • frenchlies #14 2 years ago

    I don't see what's wrong with this. You are not forced by Blizzard to post on their forums, and as a private company it's up to them what kind of rules they enforce on the use of software that is hosted on their servers. If you don't like their rules, then don't post on battle.net. It's that simple.

  • UncleLou #15 2 years ago

    Got no problem with an account being tied to my real name, but I certainly don't want to see it published.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 09:41

  • spudsbuckley #16 2 years ago

    So people only see you name if you post on the Blizz forums?

    Then don't post on the Blizz forums. They're terrible anyway.

  • ZeroAX #17 2 years ago

    @ignatiusjreilly

    haha for the link. serves the idiot who tried to defend it right (yeah company forced him but I'd still try to find someone else to do it).

    Also he deleted his facebook account. HAhahaha

  • UncleLou #18 2 years ago

    If you don't like their rules, then don't post on battle.net. It's that simple.

    And people are allowed to disagree with Blizzard's rules, and say so. It's that simple as well.

  • LondonSquare82 #19 2 years ago

    I bet this won't change people rushing to type "FIRST!!11!! LOLZOMG" when they enter the first post in a thread.

  • gmjapan #20 2 years ago

    Couldnt they create a slightly similar effect by limiting people to just one username on all their forums? At the moment for WoW you can create any alt and post under it to flame, troll, agree with yourself... anything.

    I dont see why a games network needs real names... people sign up to play games not get in touch with others from school etc.

    In fact i'd agree its probably more dangerous as suggested, instead of just misdirected nerdrage on the games forums, they can find out your personal details then come round and set fire to your cat.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 09:49

  • kangarootoo #21 2 years ago

    Are they nuts? Of course anonymity means some people act like dick-heads, but for the vast majority it is a natural part of being on the internet. And in a forum where your identity is linked to your game character, it doesn't even make game sense to use your own name (which in the WoW, is meaningless).

    Blizzard trying to reinvent the internet? I expect forum use to plunge.

  • Raznilof #22 2 years ago

    "community manager Nethaera - real name unknown, for now"

    Funny, and that's why I read Eurogamer!

    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 09:53

  • Haloboy #23 2 years ago

    On the upside. Ninjaring in WoW will soon be a thing of the past. Unless you want holes in your chest while you make a quick sandwich.

  • anomagnus #24 2 years ago

    Jesus people, what the fuck is wrong with you? THis sound like a comment board from the Daily Mail. Its an intersting reflection on internet users, that the first reaction is shoot this idea down and call blizzard dicks, yet fail to consider the reasoning behind it. I see very little cristicism of the fucking pricks that troll those boards for example.

    Its about time someone shone a light in the degenerates that infect some of the WoW boards. Its thE internet equivelent of a snake pit, filled with zombies.

    As for the child molesters thing, please, cut the Daily Mail level of hysteria, thats utter bullshit. Is it any wonder that the mainstream press has a field day with games and internet sex monsters, when we propagate the myth ourselves. The level of hysteria around this is already fever pitch, and for the most part 99.5% bullshit wheeled out just to shoot an idea out of the sky. Do you REALLY think that a company like Blizzard si going to wheel something like this out without covering their ass from a legal perspective. In 15 years, they've never set a foot wrong, why start now?

    As for the employers thing, i've worked for three of the worlds largest multi national tech company's, and several smaller tech company's. Catagorically i can tell you that a HR recruiter that does that level of work doesn't exist. Even google, with their 12 step recruitment process and multi nation vetting will not be going through your forum posts. In comment thread filled with paranoia, thats taking the biscuit.

    If it encourages a degree of respect on those boards, then its worth it.

  • LazyDan #25 2 years ago

    That's outrageous - these days firstname and lastname can be enough to track someone's online presence down completely. If they had started with this system it wouldn't be so bad, but sour relationships will already exist between players - it's practically inviting cyber-bullying and stalking on a mass scale, and it's unfair to players.

  • ignatiusjreilly #26 2 years ago

    Blizzard si going to wheel something like this out without covering their ass from a legal perspective. In 15 years, they've never set a foot wrong, why start now?

    There is a simple fact: if you post your name on the internet, someone might to be able to find out where you live. I care not for Blizzard's legal protection.

    If this is no big deal, please tell us all your real name here.

  • Haloboy #27 2 years ago

    Smith. Joe Smith.

  • Goodfella #28 2 years ago

    Yes, anomagnus, pray tell us your real name?

    (He could just make one up anyway)

  • Synthesis #29 2 years ago

    Fantastic, a stupid thing to do really, but how hilarious to watch the endless streams of WoW playing morons complaining about it.

    I do love those American "women" who are totally self important, complaining about how they're going to be stalked and that the internet is a very unsafe place for a woman because of all the nasty men around.

    Either way, I think if you're smart I doubt there will be much problem. They did say showing your ingame name is optional, so you may end up with the situation of your account dying the way it is and not having to post again.

    Perhaps they could just go over to some non-official forums and build a community there instead?

  • butler` #30 2 years ago

    ROFL he deleted his facebook

  • Cigol #31 2 years ago

    My only experience with this is the iRacing forums and although it cuts down on 'professional' trolls, you still have all the flaming, arguments, whining and unhealthy characteristics that tend to go with any (gaming) forum.

  • Headache #32 2 years ago

    I find it interesting that only those people who've said this isn't such a bad idea are getting lots of negative ratings, regardless of whether their post is "bad" or not.

    Personally I agree with anomagnus, some people are creating a level of hysteria over this unwarrented and unhelpful to the discussion. There are certain dangers with using your real name on the internet but for the majority of people who already have their names displayed on the likes of facebook this won't be such a massive problem. Of course there are people with daft or silly names that might not want to be ridiculed and others such as teachers who might not want their pupils to know they play but I genuinely don't think it'll be the end of the world for most gamers.

    I can see Blizzard's reasoning in this and frankly if it leads to better behaviour from players in game and on the forum then I'm all for it.

  • spudsbuckley #33 2 years ago

    Oh no! They'll stalk me on my Facebook page? Can't i just set that to private as well?

    This is the usual internet-types getting shirty because they lose the ability to anonymously call someone a nigger-jew-faggot on the forums.

  • Riggers #34 2 years ago

    ""Keep in mind that posting is optional, and we recognise that some players will choose not to utilize the Real ID feature in game or post on the forums and support everyone's individual choice on using or not using it," community manager Nethaera - real name unknown, for now - posted in response to complaints. Parents will be able to disallow children from posting by using parental account controls. "

    That's nice Blizzard, does this mean in-game GMs will no longer direct people to the Technical Support forums?

  • Gurgeh #35 2 years ago

    Apparently your real ID is also available through the scripting interface for WoW add-ons. Spam mailers rejoice!

  • Stickman #36 2 years ago

    People care what happens on the official WOW forums? No-one with half a brain goes anywhere near them anyway.

  • geeza2020 #37 2 years ago

    I don't play WoW, but this is really quite ridiculous. Yes its not likely that your going to be stalked after leaving a post in your real name on the internet, but surely its better to keep everyone safe and cope with the retards/flamers/trolls then have everyone use their real names and risk having harm done in real life? It seems like an easy choice to make to me, and i cant believe that Blizzard went the other way.

  • Der_tolle_Emil #38 2 years ago

    This concerns more than just your own account. Check out the wowriot link. People in the comments have posted at least four different phone numbers now that they think is the correct one. That means three people have received phone calls from idiots just because they happen to have the same name like one posting in the battle.net forums. Well done Blizzard. I'm sure they are very happy about that.

  • spudsbuckley #39 2 years ago

    Who posts their phone number on the internet?

  • ignatiusjreilly #40 2 years ago

    Who posts their phone number on the internet?

    http://ww w.thephonebook.bt.com/publisha....

  • mjzero #41 2 years ago

    I like Blizzards idea.

    Fare too often have I read a tread in one forum or another, that have been ruined be flaming.

    The problem is that in RL you don’t run around insulting people, just because you don’t like they’re point of view or for a spelling mistake or something equal non important.
    We try to raise our children to be polite and respect to others, but when it comes to the Internet the idea is that “you are anonymous” so everything goes. How can that not be wrong?

    I know that giving your real name on the Internet is like inviting people to see what else they can find on you. But in my opinion people just have to grow up and stand by what they express. Being vocal or written, on physical or electronic media.
    If you have something to say, then say it and stand by it!
    If you express something about a subject in whom you don’t agree with other people, then do so and stand by it. And should you be wrong then say “I was wrong”

    I have no problem in typing my real name: Poul Behrendt
    Feel free to search info on me if that’s what you want.

  • NorfolkNClue #42 2 years ago

    I don't see the problem. Everyone puts their real names up on facebook, and god knows what other information. The loose terms that facebook calls 'privacy' settings should be easy to replicate on their forums.

    If it was that easy to find that geezer from Blizzard's personal details, he obviously wasn't being careful enough with his personal data.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 11:11

  • Sildur #43 2 years ago

    I think if we're totally honest with ourselves here, currently the Blizzard forums are a cesspit of bile spewed forth by silly teenage boys who's responsibility in life spans little further than cleaning their own bedrooms once a month while their mummies take cook their meals and clean up after them the rest of the time. (See, I can troll too!).

    Have you got a genuine interesting question about Warcraft? Are you looking for a genuine, intelligent response to it? Then DON'T go to the Blizzard forums!

    There's no doubt that this is an extreme measure, but I think these unbelievably annoying internet trolls need to be taught a lesson about responsibility. They haven't gone out into the world, got jobs, they contribute nothing to society, and yet they think they're superstars in their own bedrooms.

    You can bet that this will instantly reduce the level of idiocy on the Blizzard forums and I'm willing to bet that it becomes a lot calmer, friendlier place to visit.

  • kangarootoo #44 2 years ago

    @anomagnus

    "If it encourages a degree of respect on those boards, then its worth it."

    Starting a case with "if" and ending with "its worth it" is the oldest trick in the book. It is of course, meaningless.


    "Do you REALLY think that a company like Blizzard si going to wheel something like this out without covering their ass from a legal perspective."

    What makes you think that Blizzard covering their own asses is anybody's concern? Preserving anonymity on the internet is a person concern, really who cares whether Blizzard are "covered" or not?
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 11:16

  • Eraysor #45 2 years ago

    They evidently know how to make games, but not forums.

  • kangarootoo #46 2 years ago

    @Eraysor

    I figure it is a cost saving exercise. Word on this thread seems to be that their forum pages are horrible places full of angry insults. They could fix this in numerous ways, but removing anonymity is one way, and it costs them next to nothing.

  • ignatiusjreilly #47 2 years ago

    I suspect it is also a marketing exercise. They will probably tie these RealIDs to facebooks accounts at some point and the circle will be complete.

  • BabyJesus #48 2 years ago

    I give it 6 months before some crazy Marilyn Manson maladjusted loon tracks someone down and kills them.

  • spudsbuckley #49 2 years ago

    I give it 6 months before some crazy Marilyn Manson maladjusted loon tracks someone down and kills them.

    Is it still 1996? Updated your references sir! :p

  • oupe #50 2 years ago

    I give it 6 months before some crazy Marilyn Manson maladjusted loon tracks someone down and kills them.

    Apart from the Marilyn Manson reference this is going to happen. Some lunatic is going to kill some other player over a stupid thing. Unfortunately this is a given in these times.

    Worst.Idea.Ever. (#66329)
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 11:51

  • chrisola #51 2 years ago

    cue 10,000 posts by John Smith

  • xenoss #52 2 years ago

    There is no need for what Blizzard is doing.

    I don't know Moot's real name either, but I still know who Moot is. Similarly, probably more people are familiar with tht name The Rock than Dwayne Johnson. I imagine that in MMO's like WoW, Blizzard's own game, people are known by their handles. They still need to maintain their reputation, even without their real names attached. They still need to take responsibility for their words regardless of their real name. If they said something stupid, people will still be able to recognize you as lame.

    In the current internet age, our handles are more or less like our real names. Why force the issue?

  • President_Weasel #53 2 years ago

    First time, no, probably about the fifth time, somebody with an uncommon name gets internet stalked and their real life messed up by some internet idiot with a grudge over some storm in an internet teacup, they'll suddenly realise why forums are anonymous.
    Trusted Blizzard staff should be able to connect acount names to real life names to real life details. Not the entire internet.

    We spend most of our time telling people not to give out their real detaisl on internet forums.

  • mjzero #54 2 years ago

    @Zedfragg

    I understand you point and though I like the idea of having a connection between RL and Internet ID, with mutual respect and all that. It may be a bit too Utopia world view.

    I understand the arguments for not having real name associated with a forum account, and the idea that not everything you do, is any ones business.

    And in this instance, it’s Blizzards game, we only rent it and if we don’t like what they demand for the use, then we are free to terminal our account.

  • Gurgeh #55 2 years ago

    Come to think of it, with people's actual names / email addresses revealed, someone should get in touch with the Data Protection Registrar in the UK. That could get amusing for Activision.

  • sneetch #56 2 years ago

    I think this is a bad idea, why they don't just show your unique battle.net account name (which is not your name or your email address) as well as your character name in forum posts is beyond me. Knowing my name for internet searches is probably less useful as it's quite a common name around here but I still don't want it posted on the interwebs.

    That said, I've just now clicked hide my details on my Eurogamer profile. :)

  • Number1Laing #57 2 years ago

    A Blizzard employee posted his real name on the forums to try and alleviate people's fears. Predictably, within minutes people had his address, his phone number, the names of his parents and lots of photos and other personal information

    I think that says more about the losers that post on Blizzard forums than that employee.

    Which is maybe the point. A lot of people will just cease to post on the forums. That's probably exactly what Blizzard wants to happen.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 12:29

  • Scopeh #58 2 years ago

    I see this news is having the same effect on these comments as they are on the official blizzard forums. Mass Anarchy.

  • kangarootoo #59 2 years ago

    @Number1Laing

    "I think that says more about the losers that post on Blizzard forums than that employee."

    Well as you say yourself, that is entirely the point. What is says quite clearly is that a WoW is not the place to reveal personal details, as the "losers" that inhabit the forum will seek out and publish further personal information, not just about you but about those related to you.

  • sneetch #60 2 years ago

    @kangarootoo
    Well as you say yourself, that is entirely the point. What is says quite clearly is that a WoW is not the place to reveal personal details, as the "losers" that inhabit the forum will seek out and publish further personal information, not just about you but about those related to you.

    Yes, and of course as you don't know the Real IDs of the people who read posts on the forum in the event that someone starts harassing you in the real world over your declaration that "the paladin is better than the shaman" you won't know the reason why you're being harassed or who the hell has been harassing you. The anonymity of the reader is still maintained so you're exposing your real details to a great anonymous group of people.

    Interestingly enough it is currently a violation of the Blizzard forum's code of conduct if you post someone's real life information. I suppose Blizzard will have to ban themselves from their own forums.

    Edit: [link url=http://forums.worldofwarcraft.com/forum-coc.html?sid=1
    ]http://fo rums.worldofwarcraft.com/forum-...[/link]

    Distribution of Real-Life Personal Information

    This category includes:

    * Releasing any real-life information about other players or Blizzard Entertainment employees

    If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will:

    * Be permanently banned from the World of Warcraft forums
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 13:05

  • MaxiSleep #61 2 years ago

    Unbeliveably naieve and stupid decision by Blizard. Essentialy saying you must be willing to suffer identity theft to contribute to forums re the game.

  • gmjapan #62 2 years ago

    Isnt one of the major draws in an MMO that its another world, that you can play any role, be anybody you want? Kinda hard to achieve that if its always just 'you'. I know its a battle.net thing and not specifically WoW but it seems Blizz are removing part of the allure.
    Edited by 1 at 07/07/10 @ 13:08

  • telboy007 #63 2 years ago

    Lord Infinite Storm Wrath: "RAR!!! I eat n00bs for breakfast."

    Neil Finnigan: "RAR!!! I eat n00bs for breakfast."

    Not really the same impact.

  • Praetorianer #64 2 years ago

    Page 1013 already :)

  • SpaceMonkey77 #65 2 years ago

    I'm no player of WoW, but as a gamer in general, I find their idea to do this to be very wrong.

    Why I think Blizzard are doing this is, is because they obviously don't want a bad word said about them, or their games. I hate trolls too, but in a forum of opinions, there will always be crackpots (just spot and ignore them, its that easy), and besides, it would be a crap forum if we all agreed all the time. For any decent discussion or debate to be fun, appropriate foils are needed. Surely no one wants a forum with no passion, though, but in any forum, all of us should always be onguard and watch out for knives. For if knives can kill Caesar, they can also potentially at get you, in a real ID based forum.
    .
    Overall, I think being anonymous on the net has to stay and is crucial to its existence. While Blizzard are within their rights and I might disagree, I'd absolutely hate others to follow their awful example and start a trend. For every troll we ignore, there are many people out there in less free societies, who need such an anonymous outlet, like China, Iran etc. Sure, the net is a wild west, possibly the last bastion of true freedom and expression, but the pros for being anonymous far outweigh the cons of using real ID.

    By all means, if you play WoW and don't like it, their are plenty of cool online games, that will have you be anonymous still and welcome you with open arms (Here's looking at you, Guild Wars and LotR). Better still, use an unofficlal WoW forum, and thwart this 1984 madness.

  • T4RG4 #66 2 years ago

    Sounds like a great idea to me.

    - Tom Cruise

  • Gurgeh #67 2 years ago

    (info from the FoH forum on this topic)

    To see how secure Activision have made their system, try this:

    /run for i=1,100 do if BNIsSelf(i)then BNSendWhisper(i,"RealID whisper from yourself..";);break end end

    Note that any add-on can currently read your real ID, whether you've made it public or not.

  • davisorle #68 2 years ago

    Bliizard now I know why it took you so long with Diablo 3 and Starcraft 2.. You 've been high and on expired drugs for way too damn long.

  • ChaK #69 2 years ago

    what if bond is my name?


    james bond on top of that !

  • mingster #70 2 years ago

    Sounds like a good idea to me.
    I'm all for less anonymity.
    Might make people a bit more civil.
    The people who post on the forums need regulating they are vile.

  • JimWest #71 2 years ago

    A lot of comments on here and the WoW forums remind me of what Chris Morris tried to show us with Brass Eye and the general public and media reactions to certain topics.

    If you've never watched Brass Eye I suggest you do!

    Well....... what are you still doing here, go watch it!

  • Vyggo #72 2 years ago

    I am wondering if all the blizzard employees will also work with their real name (not just this one poor guy). If they don't, it clearly demonstrates why this is a bad idea. If they do...ooh my.

  • kangarootoo #73 2 years ago

    @mingster

    "might make people a bit more civil"

    No doubt it will, but the whole point is that isn't likely to be the only result. Is making people a bit more civil such a glorious aim that we will overlook security concerns? And what about those that don't care about being civil or care about their own anonymity, but will happily post the researched personal details of others on the forum as a new form of trolling?

    More thought is needed.

  • cen4pgb #74 2 years ago

    Most people have very uncommon names. There are hundreds of people with my old first/last name combo in the UK. I only add people I know on fbook, and don't give any address details on it anyway.

    BT's phone book is so easy to get out of apearing in its really not a risk if you don't want it to be.

    If you're sensible on what you put on internet sources, unless you have a really unusal name, you're safe enough.

  • Miths #75 2 years ago

    That's a rather unusual move to say the least. The only other forum I recall seeing using that approach is the iRacing member forums, and they are only viewable by subscribers.

  • Turrican #76 2 years ago

    I think we need to be careful when defending this to be sure that Blizzard are really trying to make their forums a better place rather than forcibly push their RealID scheme down everyone's throat in order to milk sales revenue from it. Given who now owns them I'd suspect the latter.

    What I haven't quite gleaned from all the posts yet is whether, when they put this live, all historical posts on the board will become viewable by a person's name, or if it will be all new posts from that point onwards.

    As a moderator of a couple of PC game 'official' forums for a number of years I've seen the levels of spite that can build up when people's strongest opinions clash in threads, and while this could certainly be mitigated if it was happening to a general forum, the fact they are doing it to forums linked to competitive and potentially griefable games like WoW seems like an almighty lawsuit waiting to happen.

  • cw- #77 2 years ago

    Also he deleted his facebook account. HAhahaha

    No he didn't, he changed his privacy settings so no one can view anything other than the very basic details.

  • cw- #78 2 years ago

    @Turrican
    What I haven't quite gleaned from all the posts yet is whether, when they put this live, all historical posts on the board will become viewable by a person's name, or if it will be all new posts from that point onwards.

    From the article...

    The change, announced on the Battle.net forum, will come into effect for StarCraft II forums before the game's release at the end of this month. World of Warcraft forums will follow suit "near the launch of Cataclysm", the third expansion pack for the MMO which is expected to launch at the end of this year.

    Anyone posting or replying to a post on these forums will have to use their Real ID - their real first and last name, as registered with their Battle.net account. Existing posts will remain as they are.

  • gmjapan #79 2 years ago

    Bringing WoW into a Social Networking status; I cant help but feel its another step in the drive to find a way to charge $15/mnth for Farmville. "Scimitaar has a new Glyph, click here to help him apply it..."

    And as for 'getting rid of the trolls', yes the trolls will be likely gone from the forums... but not gone.

  • kangarootoo #80 2 years ago

    @cw-

    I think the point still stands that his life outside of the WoW forum had to undergo changes such that his privacy could be protected, as a direct result of what took place within the WoW forum.

    WHAT was done to his facebook profile is far less important than the fact that SOMETHING had to be done.

  • cw- #81 2 years ago

    @kangarootoo I wasn't arguing that point at all, just stating he didn't delete his Facebook ;)

  • Canyarion #82 2 years ago

    This early April Fool is almost as good as when they announced that Paladin and Shaman would go cross-faction.

  • kangarootoo #83 2 years ago

    @cw-

    Fair enough, I thought there was an implication being made. Apologies :)

  • Vixremento #84 2 years ago

    Hi Everyone! My name is Chris Metzen.
    I think they've thought about this quite a bit more than we give them credit for (in a sneaky kinda way). Now let's look at how many people sell their wow accounts...does it make it easier for them to do this? No of course not (even though you're not supposed to sell your account it still happens). They're clever implementing this now too because they probably already have a bulk of their subscriber base (I should have created my battle.net account with my real name as Edwardo De Faggio dammit!)...but then again I have no idea how they actually go about ensuring that it's your real name to start with (I suggest all female players change their names to male names ASAP if at all possible!).

    Then again I guess we're all left with the "if you don't like it...don't use it" option - which would have meant that most of the enjoyable comments you come across from time to time may not have existed just because the posters may not have wanted their real names to be exposed to the world (and the wow subscriber base is a huge chunk of that world!).

  • bionutz #85 2 years ago

    good decision. now hopefully they implement it the right way.

  • KinanEldari #86 2 years ago

    Well this simply is one more reason why I will never post on any of Blizzard's forums. Thanks, Activision. Go ahead and ruin something else for us. Because I honestly doubt that this was Blizzard's decision.

  • SpaceMonkey77 #87 2 years ago

    Yeah, probably was an Activision decision, wouldn't surprise me at all. Mr Kotick is so determined to be every gamers enemy, yet still take our money. Overall, if a lot of people stopped playing WoW because of this, it might not actually be a bad thing for the industry.

  • Moz #88 2 years ago

    Watch as cases of stalking increase drastically. I really don't want people who I play WOW with being able to look me up on Facebook!! That's just nuts.

    And in the case of WOW it's going to screw up realm specific forums especially ones for RP servers.

    Also what happens if you have a comman name like John Smith??

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #89 2 years ago

    "This is the usual internet-types getting shirty because they lose the ability to anonymously call someone a nigger-jew-faggot on the forums."

    This.

    Also, the idea of people being stalked/killed/whatever is absurd. Most flamers are far too pathetically cowardly to ever call someone out to their face, never mind attack them. That's why they give themselves stupid, embarrassing playground names in the first place. Fuck, don't you think someone would have stabbed ME at some point in the last 20 years if the entire internet had half a testicle between it? I'm a total cunt.

  • alcides #90 2 years ago

    what is this, China?

    I bet Kotick made that decision.

  • KinanEldari #91 2 years ago

    Also, the idea of people being stalked/killed/whatever is absurd. Most flamers are far too pathetically cowardly to ever call someone out to their face, never mind attack them. That's why they give themselves stupid, embarrassing playground names in the first place. Fuck, don't you think someone would have stabbed ME at some point in the last 20 years if the entire internet had half a testicle between it? I'm a total cunt.

    You forget, Stuart, that some people are simply bat---- insane. There's a reason why stuff line names are private. The example with the Bliz employee only goes to show this. Think of all the in-WoW crushes, only to find out it's a dude (retaliation) for instance, or then a girl being stalked to name just one example. Nothing good will come from this.
    Edited by 1 at 08/07/10 @ 09:26

  • kangarootoo #92 2 years ago

    ""This is the usual internet-types getting shirty because they lose the ability to anonymously call someone a nigger-jew-faggot on the forums."

    This."

    This sort of thing winds me up. Take one easily attacked motive for an action, and pretend it is the only motive for the action, thus enabling you to attack all disenters. Classic, clumsy, feeble strawman.

    There are lots of reasons why someone might want anonymity on the web. Being an arse is clearly one of them, but its not the only one. And you bloody know that.

  • Acrid #93 2 years ago

    It's kinda scary the shit they managed to pull up on that Blizz guy from just his name

  • CloisterBlack #94 2 years ago

    girl subscribers should get prepared for a massive Facebook friend request spamming :p
    Edited by 1 at 08/07/10 @ 14:52

  • cw- #95 2 years ago

    The idea has been pulled http://ww w.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/64684

  • figo #96 5 months ago

    I am so disappointed! It is certainly a misleading consumer strategy the one Blizzard currently has. What are the Authentication Key and the DVD worth for? I paid for a copy that now can be downloaded for free!!! My Standard Edition is of no use now, because you actually have to continue paying if you want to continue playing --even the single player campaign! I seriously never thought to get this scam from Blizzard.

    Where can I get my money back? how can I file a serious complaint? I DON'T THINK I WILL BE BUYING A PRODUCT FROM YOU GUYS EVER AGAIN, after being a fan of the original Starcraft for years.