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Blizzard To Require Real First and Last Names For Official Forums 833

Posted by Soulskill on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @03:02PM from the guess-that's-one-way-to-get-rid-of-trolls dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Recently, Blizzard Entertainment implemented a Real ID feature for some of its current games and all of its future Battle.net-based games. Today, Blizzard announced that it intends to require usage of the real names of Battle.net posters for its StarCraft II forums before release, and for its World of Warcraft forums shortly before the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm. From the announcement: 'The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.'"

Submission + - Blizzard has gone off the deep end. (battle.net)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @02:11PM

An anonymous reader writes: Battle.net Update: Upcoming Changes to the Forums

Recently, we introduced our new Real ID feature — http://www.battle.net/realid/ , a new way to stay connected with your friends on the new Battle.net. Today, we wanted to give you a heads up about our plans for Real ID on our official forums, discuss the design philosophy behind the changes we’re making, and give you a first look at some of the new features we’re adding to the forums to help improve the quality of conversations and make the forums an even more enjoyable place for players to visit.

The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.

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. 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. With this change, you’ll see blue posters (i.e. Blizzard employees) posting by their real first and last names on our forums as well. ......

Submission + - Blizzard to display legal full names on forums (battle.net)

Submitted by globring on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @01:56PM

globring writes: The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged.

Submission + - Blizzard to use Real Names on forums (battle.net)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @01:40PM

An anonymous reader writes: Continuing with the trend of sites attempting to emulate MySpace and Facebook, Blizzard has decided to use real names in game. Previously this was restricted to players who elected to become RealID friends with each other (and anyone RealID friends of your RealID friends). Now Blizzard is taking this a step further by requiring all posts on the Battle.net forums to include a real name.

Submission + - Blizzard to Remove Privacy on Forums (battle.net)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @01:39PM

An anonymous reader writes: Blizzard Entertainment will be requiring real First and Last names to post on their forums:

"The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it."

Concerns over privacy, stalking, and data-mining abound

Submission + - Blizzard to require RealID for Battle.net forums. (battle.net)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 06, 2010 @01:14PM

An anonymous reader writes: Recently, Blizzard Entertainment implemented a feature to some of its current as well as all of its future Battle.net-based games: RealID. Today, Blizzard announced that it intends to require usage of the real names of Battle.net posters for its StarCraft II forums before release, and for its World of Warcraft forums shortly before the release of World of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

"The first and most significant change is that in the near future, anyone posting or replying to a post on official Blizzard forums will be doing so using their Real ID — that is, their real-life first and last name — with the option to also display the name of their primary in-game character alongside it. These changes will go into effect on all StarCraft II forums with the launch of the new community site prior to the July 27 release of the game, with the World of Warcraft site and forums following suit near the launch of Cataclysm. Certain classic forums, including the classic Battle.net forums, will remain unchanged."

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