OK everyone and I mean everyone involved in WoW is talking about this. I'm not going to talk about if its a good or a bad thing.
I want to know what is it for?
The idea that its to stop trolling, simply doesn't hold true. the best response in the forums that destroys this as an argument was "I didn't use my real name for my account anyway" this coupled with the ability to start an account with any name and use prepay cards means you could create an account in the name of Bobby Kotick and then run amok until you were banned.
The idea that it brings accountability is true to a degree some people will be more likely to be more considerate. Others and we will call them ass hats will keep on doing what they have always done as would any John Doe/Smith/Sing/Chin/Kim or whatever common name is relevant in your part of the world who would have no fear from this. Blizzards argument against the fake names is that they will have a team looking closely at accounts to find fakes, this is fine with the obviously fake but stolen or forged identities can be easily acquired. A TV program in the UK about 10 years ago proved it was simple enough to get a credit card in the name of now Prime minister Gordon Brown through a few simple steps with easily available information and documents. Accountability has just flown out of the window for someone determined enough. While that may seem a little far away what about someone who now uses as their account one that belonged to someone else for whatever reason above board or not. Lets say someone plays on the account of a deceased relative. No comeback unless you go out of your way to track IP adresses. which is entirely doable for blizzard as they have helped
American police capture an escaped felon via his character name and IP adress. So in these cases how would RealID make people more accountable as if they broke a law, then they can still be caught.
Lets have a quick look at what happend when in an attempt to smoothe this and show it wasnt such a big deal Blizzard employees
published their names. It seems Blizzard are content to let their customers lose the protection that they are going to have to give their employees. Not pleasant. Heres a
recent news article showing the extent some gamers will go. This is not a one off. The type of game wow is draws in people with obsessional personality types and can be a haven for people with little social skills, it is also something that people become attached to and feel very strongly emotionally. Recent research shows that people exhibit similar brainwaves patterns when thinking about themselves as they do when thinking about their in game avatar, their avatar has become an extension of self. What some people are willing to do in retaliation for some slight is not constrained by what you think is reasonable. RealID would undoubtedly make it easier for someone to find you.
So back to my question. Why are Blizzard doing this the answer I feel the most confident about is
this.
Please give your own answers.
