Blizzard to remove the veil of anonymity
By
Adeon Hawkwood,
Posted on: 2010-07-06 10:48 in Comic and Hero-Villain Culture
I already get emails trying to hack my Aion account, and I don't HAVE an Aion account, just City of Heroes, nevermind the 2-3 a day I get trying to hack my WoW account (which is now permanently canceled)
You know some MMO companies can probably use this as an opportunity for gaining new customers. "Here at <insert name of MMO> we won't force you to use your real name to post on our forums or play our games."
Paragon Unleashed Forums
Twitter: @Alpha_Ryvius
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That's a very helpful link. Luckily my real name is common enough that nothing I found was actually something regarding me, except for one of the usernames I tried (and the two things listed there I'm essentially fine with).
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Originally Posted by Gaderath
www.pipl.com was linked on the WoW boards. Scary stuff. It has my new cell phone number who very few people have, as well as my entire family, and tons of other scary info, all from just my first and last name. Satellite photos of me working in backyard last summer. I'm freaked.
EDIT: Lordy. I hadn't seen you can search by screen name too. Thankfully my screen name is a little more unique, and none of the stuff that did actually connect with me was interesting at least. |
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Yeah, I follow Felicia Day on Twitter and she's like :O about it all, though she's still up in the air I think if she's quitting or not. She asked for opinions, then later said her replies were split, but pretty much every woman is against it.
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Originally Posted by Friggin_Taser
I agree that celebrities that play just got a whole lot more awkward.
We know from interviews and talk on their own shows that Felicia Day, most of the cast of G4's X-Play, and others play WoW. Most of them do so in a manner where they are anonymous so they aren't flooded with guild invites and spam and stalker-y tells. Well, if they post on the forum, that will go out the window. I can just see the "Gank Felicia Day" threads starting. |
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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In the case of the boy, I have to wonder... would he have acted the way he did had he NOT had anonymity in the first place?
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Originally Posted by KaliMagdalene
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While I can't see getting fired over playing World of Warcraft in your private time, I can see an employer possibly hiring someone else over a Warcraft player with a not-unjustified concern that the Warcraft Raider might have his job performance impacted, having stayed up very late 3-4 nights a week every week. Sleepy at work, coming in late, etc.
-np
I see myself as witty, urbane, highly talented, hugely successful with a keen sense of style. Plus of course my own special brand of modesty.
Virtue: Automatic Lenin | The Pink Guy | Superpowered | Guardia | Guardia Prime | Ultrapowered
I'm just stunned how enough people at Activision/Blizzard could think that was a good enough idea to even get this far.
I mean, a couple of people with a crackpot idea I can see, sure. Happens all the time. But this had to go up the chain, level after level to get approval and resources devoted to creating it.
To me, this goes beyond an organization-wide failure of common sense right into pure denial of reality.
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I have so many stories, but I think that people don't understand how the internet anonymity that makes it easy for people to lash out works. It's not really about having your name visible. It's about having the internet between you and your target.|
Originally Posted by LiquidX
In the case of the boy, I have to wonder... would he have acted the way he did had he NOT had anonymity in the first place?
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I'll say right now that I have seen so many people on usenet behave as badly or worse with their real names hanging out right in the open. When I first got onto usenet? Just about everyone was using their real names. Trolling and harassment still happened.
Elsegame: Champions Online: @BellaStrega ||| Battle.net: Ashleigh#1834 ||| Bioware Social Network: BellaStrega ||| EA Origin: Bella_Strega ||| Steam: BellaStrega ||| The first Guild Wars: Kali Magdalene ||| The Secret World: BelleStarr (Arcadia)
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see, this is another are where, to me, the justification falls apart. lets say my real name is dan winchester. it isnt, but play along. i have a few real world friends here, but most of you i will never see, ever, i dont go to cons, and live pretty far from most players who have identified locations, and lack the directional skills and free time to go to get togethers, so the social circle that i actually am concerned with is those few rl friends who play here. Now i would feel social pressure not to be a jerk in front of those friends, but since they already know me, they know that i am rian frostdrake as well, no anonymity there, so the name thing would be useless for the people who'se opinions i most care about. ill throw marcian in as well, since he is cool, but still my real name means no more than my forum name since i wont meet him in person.|
Originally Posted by LiquidX
In the case of the boy, I have to wonder... would he have acted the way he did had he NOT had anonymity in the first place?
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since i am not expanding my social cirlce to encompass any of you(no offense, im really pretty boring anyhow
), there is no real social pressure to behave, dan winchester is no more of an identifying mark than rian frostdrake. The only reason i would fear social repercussions based on my real name that wouldn't exist on my forum name under current paragon rules would be A. since i cant change it, so if im a jerk, i cant rename, which would be reasonable for a wow policy, no renames work for me. or B. if i feared real world reprisals for my actions..which works i guess, but is a really bad basis for pro-social behavior on a video game forum.so in any theory i can think of, the only was that your real name would make a difference on your behavior towards people outside of your social circle is by using the threat of violence or occupational problems...thats full on madness. so the other reasons people have mentioned with them linking with various social networking sites makes far more sense, because there is no way in heck that the stated goal is going to have any affect at all.
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in my experience, this smells of upper level executives, it takes the right level of lack of real world skills,lack of knowledge of technology and lack of responsibility for their actions to exclude it from people who work with or vaguely understand the game, only an executive could be this deluded.
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Originally Posted by JKedan
I'm just stunned how enough people at Activision/Blizzard could think that was a good enough idea to even get this far.
I mean, a couple of people with a crackpot idea I can see, sure. Happens all the time. But this had to go up the chain, level after level to get approval and resources devoted to creating it. To me, this goes beyond an organization-wide failure of common sense right into pure denial of reality. |
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Helpful link indeed. It didn't even turn up my online phone book entry. Which is actually kinda weird. And sad, cause I'd like some roses and a dildo in the mail. Well, I don't really need the dildo. Maybe a Russian mail order bride instead?
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Originally Posted by Bystander
That's a very helpful link. Luckily my real name is common enough that nothing I found was actually something regarding me, except for one of the usernames I tried (and the two things listed there I'm essentially fine with).
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"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
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That sounds more like middle management though. Guys like Patrick Bateman.
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Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
in my experience, this smells of upper level executives, it takes the right level of lack of real world skills,lack of knowledge of technology and lack of responsibility for their actions to exclude it from people who work with or vaguely understand the game, only an executive could be this deluded.
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"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
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Be that as it may, Activision/Blizzard does have a legal department. Assuming the Legal Department didn't burst into flame, killing everyone inside and leaving just a mostly burned scrap of paper saying "This is ... a good idea", then at some point, legal counsel following the CYA principle had to say "While you can technically claim the forums are optional, this might not be worth the trouble it could cause, legally speaking."|
Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
in my experience, this smells of upper level executives, it takes the right level of lack of real world skills, knowledge of technology and responsibility for their actions to exclude it from people who work with or vaguely understand the game, only an executive could be this deluded.
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And even if legal all died in a fire, any marketing department worth the name should have stood up and said "Err...this has the potential to go wrong in so many different directions, it probably isn't worth it."
Given the fact that not only has the official post reached something like 1700 pages, but that game sites net-wide are aghast, and even international news agencies like BBC have picked up on it, Activision/Blizzard now strides with the giants alongside the likes of EA with their "Sexually Harass a Booth Babe" campaign.
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Here's the thing. Since Activision bought out Blizzard, Kotick has slowly been eliminating or marginalizing much of the 'old guard' at Blizzard. Currently all executive power run through him. It's not the same company anymore - many of the original developers and designers have left or have greatly reduced roles.|
Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
in my experience, this smells of upper level executives, it takes the right level of lack of real world skills,lack of knowledge of technology and lack of responsibility for their actions to exclude it from people who work with or vaguely understand the game, only an executive could be this deluded.
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So what we're seeing is the new guys wanting to flex their power, without really knowing what makes things tick.
There's the very real possibility we are seeing the beginning of the end for WoW. And not because of competition or the market, but because of office politics.
-np
I see myself as witty, urbane, highly talented, hugely successful with a keen sense of style. Plus of course my own special brand of modesty.
Virtue: Automatic Lenin | The Pink Guy | Superpowered | Guardia | Guardia Prime | Ultrapowered
i'm really amazed it still is going on, i predicted a full rescind by the weekend, i'm hoping blizz doesnt leave me hanging.
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I think the ones they're most likely to end up hanging are themselves...
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Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
i'm really amazed it still is going on, i predicted a full rescind by the weekend, i'm hoping blizz doesnt leave me hanging.
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"I do so love taking a nice, well thought out character and putting them through hell. It's like tossing a Faberge Egg onto the stage during a Gallagher concert." - me
@Palador / @Rabid Unicorn
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Sounds like they $$$ on their minds when making this decision. I'm guessing that any faults pointed out were probably drowned out by the sound of profit.
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Originally Posted by rian_frostdrake
in my experience, this smells of upper level executives, it takes the right level of lack of real world skills,lack of knowledge of technology and lack of responsibility for their actions to exclude it from people who work with or vaguely understand the game, only an executive could be this deluded.
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Paragon Unleashed Forums
Twitter: @Alpha_Ryvius
I just hit on an idea after watching The Cleveland fans singing a parody of "We Are The World" in order to keep LeBron James.
Someone needs to get a bunch of WoW players together to sing about how bad this policy is. I mean come on, it's more important than some basketball player, right?
What I propose is this:
- Write a song to the tune of "We Are The World" against RealID (Hell we got 17 pages of material here, plus we can throw in references to Infinity Ward/Call of Duty as a bonus)
- Get a bunch of WoW players together to record it
- Make a video using machinima or something.
- Post it to YouTube
- Post the YouTube video on WoW forums (official and unofficial everywhere) and see what happens.
(I could take a stab at writing the lyrics, I guess, the rest I'd need help on because I don't have an active WoW account or audio or video editing software)
My Blogs on TGWTG.com
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Sounds like an effort. Why not have everyone give their real name as 'George Orwell' when the transition happens?
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Originally Posted by RaiderRich2001
I just hit on an idea after watching The Cleveland fans singing a parody of "We Are The World" in order to keep LeBron James.
Someone needs to get a bunch of WoW players together to sing about how bad this policy is. I mean come on, it's more important than some basketball player, right? What I propose is this: - Write a song to the tune of "We Are The World" against RealID (Hell we got 17 pages of material here, plus we can throw in references to Infinity Ward/Call of Duty as a bonus) - Get a bunch of WoW players together to record it - Make a video using machinima or something. - Post it to YouTube - Post the YouTube video on WoW forums (official and unofficial everywhere) and see what happens. |
"If you're going through hell, keep going."
Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
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That's because people are a sea of statistics. Social policy is not established by the fact that something bad happened to someone somewhere. Bad things happen to good people, and that's unfortunate, but we don't stop the world on account of it. It would be hard to find some aspect of our existence that did not have unfortunate consequences for someone somewhere attached to it. Cars kill 45,000 people a year and injure 2.5 million more (roughly), not to mention the long-term environmental issues, but just try even raising the standards for a driver's license, never mind getting rid of them.
| Venture talks about people like a see of statistics, and it's vanishingly unlike that any random individual person would care about any other person, so of course there's no reason to suspect that anyone would be googling your name or use your name to track you down because on average no one cares about you. But yet for some reason stalking still happens, women still get harassed, women still get murdered. |
Current Blog Post: "Why I am an Atheist..."
"And I say now these kittens, they do not get trained/As we did in the days when Victoria reigned!" -- T. S. Eliot, "Gus, the Theatre Cat"
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could give some credit to aldous huxley, that world was still totalitarian, just with more drugs and sex.
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Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
Sounds like an effort. Why not have everyone give their real name as 'George Orwell' when the transition happens?
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Why not have everyone give the real names of various WoW Devs?
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Originally Posted by Eisregen_NA
Sounds like an effort. Why not have everyone give their real name as 'George Orwell' when the transition happens?
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"I do so love taking a nice, well thought out character and putting them through hell. It's like tossing a Faberge Egg onto the stage during a Gallagher concert." - me
@Palador / @Rabid Unicorn
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cars also continually take steps to improve their safety, this decision would remove safety, those that do not inprove their safety to a continually raising bar face civil liability. also, consider that you made your case based solely on your experience of not suffering reprisals for your actions. Since you only offered one data point, kali's rebuttal was perfectly valid because she had a single example(more than a single, but only a single was needed) where cyber-stalking did occur, and i have no doubt she could call up reams of statistics to show it being a significant risk if cyber stalkers would have access to people's real names, since it was demonstrated in this thread that you could get significant personal info just using a person's real name.|
Originally Posted by Venture
That's because people are a sea of statistics. Social policy is not established by the fact that something bad happened to someone somewhere. Bad things happen to good people, and that's unfortunate, but we don't stop the world on account of it. It would be hard to find some aspect of our existence that did not have unfortunate consequences for someone somewhere attached to it. Cars kill 45,000 people a year and injure 2.5 million more (roughly), not to mention the long-term environmental issues, but just try even raising the standards for a driver's license, never mind getting rid of them.
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Lets go at this from a different angle, can you convinceingly make the case that using people's real names will, in any way shape of form cut down on trolling, the stated aim of this policy? because there doesn't seem to be a rational way to make the case. so enlighten us as to how this is going to have a measureable effect.
Well there was a small nugget of hope for Starcraft 2 today. New patch to prepare for Phase 2 of the Beta came up (gogo 480 MB patch for a RTS) and it said:
- Enabled the ability to manually add a StarCraft II character friend using the player's character code. Character code is a server-assigned numerical code that is displayed within the Add Friend panel.
So looks like the whole exclusive RealID friends list in-game went out the window... We just have to input a <whoknowshowlong> character code to just add people by their game-name.I consider that progress in the right direction cause the manditory RealID friends list caused a huge uproar in the SC2 forums for the past month. So hopefully that means Blizzard will reverse the mandatory RealID for their forums as well.