As a MMORPG addict (as time premits, not much in summer unforntatnly) I'm not sure what to think of this. First off The name section the "real name" will be pulled from can be filled out with anything. I, like many people who use the net for lots of stuff have a habit of filling in "whatever strikes my fancy" in the name area's as I dont want a bunch of my personal info where its not required (they have my billing info which is enough). Blizzard already has done some pretty "questionable" stuff in the past. It used to download your machine Info/specs (nothing personal). While I dont see this as being a huge problem, they did it without asking. It was a public relation nightmare for them and they no longer do it.
I myslef could care less, from my use of the forums its 99% people asking questions and then being called NOOB or much worse. use my real name, it wont matter to me as I try to post as little venom as possilbe (but do post negative sides of many discussions as you guys have seen, I'm really not this negative, but I do try to look at the downside (when the upside is covered already)). WoW has fostered an Elitest attuitude for 5 years now, and they plan to change it by "outing" posters? How will this help? If Tim Jobwoski, instead of LeetKillDog calls me a [insert horrible name here] in the forums, um.. what did it change? Posting was already tied to accounts, the name of characters, I had far more access to the poster that way. I could log into his server and actually talk to him "screen to screen" if i so desired (i cant imagine anybody wanting to, but the venom and rage in forums has proved me wrong many a time). His actual name, i guess I could look it up and find a phone number, or 100's of phone numbers for that name.
I'm just not sure how it will change anything. Most people who post crap will post it even whith the name out there. I can see a very small percent of people who will think twice (I guess that would maybe be good enough reason) but I cant see it being many. Maybe I will be wrong , i would be happy to be in this case.
One thing, unless Blizzard uses the name from BILLING info (the only place you HAVE to be correct) i cant see it making to much difference. But there are problems there too. Billing can be anybody, not the player, parents, gamecards, etc.. easy to get around that one too. You mention 16 year olds, so how do you work that one? CC are not issued to people under 18 (are they? I believe banks have an Age requirment), game cards are out there for anybody 13 and up to buy (WoW is a TEEN rated game if stores are checking). But to make the account what is required (just a valid Email?, as in any email?) I cant see any way they can inforce this.
How are they not going to get in trouble for this? Your 13 year old thing is very interesting. When will the rukus start about that? Real kids names avialble on the net.
Of course Blizzards responce to all this is simple. Dont post, no longer can I ask for help on a forum where an answer might be posted in minutes (or more complaints so I know its a real problem), now I need to wait 30 minutes to 2 hours on the phone for help (i have called 2 times, once it was 30 minutes, once it was 2 hours, not numbers pulled from thin air, but my actual calls). Blizzard has pretty much free reign to do as they please and they know it. They have already changed things that they said would never be. Cash for items in game was NEVER going to happen. it did. Then it was "only" stuff that didnt change the game experiance, vanity pets, sparkly light, etc.. Now you can BUY a mount (if that doesnt hcange the game, its really cash for gold (again a big NONO by Blizzard, but the gray area (and more cash for them, its OK)). Blizzard has seen the cash posibilities and is going to start milking us poor players (who I might add are going to buy this crap like its required... ).
I guess my problem with Real ID isnt the fact that I have to post my name, I really dont mind that. its the fact that there is no way to INFORCE it. Many accounts dont have real names (mine do not). So the single biggest reason for this, shameing the GRIEFERS with real names... it probebly wont work as they wont have real names to shame. And in teh end its just that "shameing", they are not putting any new rules in place as far as I can see (other then the name). they alrady had the ability to BAN acounts, the real ID wont change that or make it easier. But even more so my problem is Blizzard, we dont want to police our forums, so we are going to let you do it. Dont I pay um $15 a month already? Now I'm suposed to police the forums too? Blizzards "we can do as we please, we have digital crack" attuitude is not good. There are so many ways to fix alot of WoW's problems buy hiring people. WoW is not like other new games where hiring people is a big risk as you have no idea if you can pay them 3 months later... WOW is a CASH COW, most (un proven) sites list WoW as rouhgly 80% of what they make is profit. (just US and Eruope is 800 Million a year, then add the "pay by timhour" players, you know, the gold farmers...) WOW can afford to hire people to be IN GAME GM's and solve problems there (average wait time on a GM is 2-4 hours, many time you get a responce the next day). And they could also do it on the forums. Yes it will take a chunk of profits... um, one so small it wont even be a blip, but its part of the bottom line so it wont happen. Of course this leaves yet another problem.. Judge/jury/exacutioner all rolled up into one... how do you find good ones?
I really as I have said, dont see it being a Bad thing, I just dont see how it will change anything, how it can be inforced that real names are used (I guess thats why its called REAL ID not REAL NAME). the only way to fix the forum problems is to ban posters who cant understand griefing others is not the thing to do.. over and over..
Sorry again for my novel length post..all mine are like that, feel bad for you readers.
-UPDATE- I see that BLizzard had (earlier today or yesterday) said people Blizzard employed would -NOT- use the REAL ID system as prevoiusly they had used real names in forums and had People List there PHONE NUMBERS, there Parents Numbers and linked to GOOGLE maps with there house loactions and friends and families locations. Ahhh the wonders of the interent. As of right now Blizzard is backtracking and saying they will Use Real ID (and rumor is several GM's and forum people will be changeing jobs as they wont deal with the rabid WoW fan base, and as we all know they are RABID). Already there are people who cant leave people alone. Something I never thought about till now.. greif in the real world.
As a MMORPG addict (as time premits, not much in summer unforntatnly) I'm not sure what to think of this. First off The name section the "real name" will be pulled from can be filled out with anything. I, like many people who use the net for lots of stuff have a habit of filling in "whatever strikes my fancy" in the name area's as I dont want a bunch of my personal info where its not required (they have my billing info which is enough). Blizzard already has done some pretty "questionable" stuff in the past. It used to download your machine Info/specs (nothing personal). While I dont see this as being a huge problem, they did it without asking. It was a public relation nightmare for them and they no longer do it.
I myslef could care less, from my use of the forums its 99% people asking questions and then being called NOOB or much worse. use my real name, it wont matter to me as I try to post as little venom as possilbe (but do post negative sides of many discussions as you guys have seen, I'm really not this negative, but I do try to look at the downside (when the upside is covered already)). WoW has fostered an Elitest attuitude for 5 years now, and they plan to change it by "outing" posters? How will this help? If Tim Jobwoski, instead of LeetKillDog calls me a [insert horrible name here] in the forums, um.. what did it change? Posting was already tied to accounts, the name of characters, I had far more access to the poster that way. I could log into his server and actually talk to him "screen to screen" if i so desired (i cant imagine anybody wanting to, but the venom and rage in forums has proved me wrong many a time). His actual name, i guess I could look it up and find a phone number, or 100's of phone numbers for that name.
I'm just not sure how it will change anything. Most people who post crap will post it even whith the name out there. I can see a very small percent of people who will think twice (I guess that would maybe be good enough reason) but I cant see it being many. Maybe I will be wrong , i would be happy to be in this case.
One thing, unless Blizzard uses the name from BILLING info (the only place you HAVE to be correct) i cant see it making to much difference. But there are problems there too. Billing can be anybody, not the player, parents, gamecards, etc.. easy to get around that one too. You mention 16 year olds, so how do you work that one? CC are not issued to people under 18 (are they? I believe banks have an Age requirment), game cards are out there for anybody 13 and up to buy (WoW is a TEEN rated game if stores are checking). But to make the account what is required (just a valid Email?, as in any email?) I cant see any way they can inforce this.
How are they not going to get in trouble for this? Your 13 year old thing is very interesting. When will the rukus start about that? Real kids names avialble on the net.
Of course Blizzards responce to all this is simple. Dont post, no longer can I ask for help on a forum where an answer might be posted in minutes (or more complaints so I know its a real problem), now I need to wait 30 minutes to 2 hours on the phone for help (i have called 2 times, once it was 30 minutes, once it was 2 hours, not numbers pulled from thin air, but my actual calls). Blizzard has pretty much free reign to do as they please and they know it. They have already changed things that they said would never be. Cash for items in game was NEVER going to happen. it did. Then it was "only" stuff that didnt change the game experiance, vanity pets, sparkly light, etc.. Now you can BUY a mount (if that doesnt hcange the game, its really cash for gold (again a big NONO by Blizzard, but the gray area (and more cash for them, its OK)). Blizzard has seen the cash posibilities and is going to start milking us poor players (who I might add are going to buy this crap like its required... ).
I guess my problem with Real ID isnt the fact that I have to post my name, I really dont mind that. its the fact that there is no way to INFORCE it. Many accounts dont have real names (mine do not). So the single biggest reason for this, shameing the GRIEFERS with real names... it probebly wont work as they wont have real names to shame. And in teh end its just that "shameing", they are not putting any new rules in place as far as I can see (other then the name). they alrady had the ability to BAN acounts, the real ID wont change that or make it easier. But even more so my problem is Blizzard, we dont want to police our forums, so we are going to let you do it. Dont I pay um $15 a month already? Now I'm suposed to police the forums too? Blizzards "we can do as we please, we have digital crack" attuitude is not good. There are so many ways to fix alot of WoW's problems buy hiring people. WoW is not like other new games where hiring people is a big risk as you have no idea if you can pay them 3 months later... WOW is a CASH COW, most (un proven) sites list WoW as rouhgly 80% of what they make is profit. (just US and Eruope is 800 Million a year, then add the "pay by timhour" players, you know, the gold farmers...) WOW can afford to hire people to be IN GAME GM's and solve problems there (average wait time on a GM is 2-4 hours, many time you get a responce the next day). And they could also do it on the forums. Yes it will take a chunk of profits... um, one so small it wont even be a blip, but its part of the bottom line so it wont happen. Of course this leaves yet another problem.. Judge/jury/exacutioner all rolled up into one... how do you find good ones?
I really as I have said, dont see it being a Bad thing, I just dont see how it will change anything, how it can be inforced that real names are used (I guess thats why its called REAL ID not REAL NAME). the only way to fix the forum problems is to ban posters who cant understand griefing others is not the thing to do.. over and over..
Sorry again for my novel length post..all mine are like that, feel bad for you readers.
-UPDATE- I see that BLizzard had (earlier today or yesterday) said people Blizzard employed would -NOT- use the REAL ID system as prevoiusly they had used real names in forums and had People List there PHONE NUMBERS, there Parents Numbers and linked to GOOGLE maps with there house loactions and friends and families locations. Ahhh the wonders of the interent. As of right now Blizzard is backtracking and saying they will Use Real ID (and rumor is several GM's and forum people will be changeing jobs as they wont deal with the rabid WoW fan base, and as we all know they are RABID). Already there are people who cant leave people alone. Something I never thought about till now.. greif in the real world.