Comment I know how you feel and I have an idea (Score 1) 1691
CmdrTaco, I understand exactly how you feel on the whole virtual identity thing, and I have an idea about maybe how to solve the problem.
One's online identity really is important. I registered when xbox live was brand new as "void". I know it's not an original word or anything, so I don't expect to get it when I sign up for a forum somewhere, but I signed up the night xbox live went public so I could get it, and I got it!
I was really excited. Lots of mechs got killed by void (ok, not all that many, but I had some memorable kills) in Mech Assault, and my friends had me on their friends list (well, ok, I don't have THAT many friends but that isn't my point). It was my identity and if one person, including me, has any memory associated with it, then it is important that it is retained. It represents a certain "investment of spirit".
Then one day I got a message when I logged in saying I couldn't use xbox live until I changed my name, and they wouldn't even tell me why. I called, emailed, and no one would tell me why. I had a friend who worked for xbox online and he might have known why, but was not allowed to discuss it with me.
That sucked. I felt so helpless. I wanted to have a tantrum like a little kid because it seemed like there was nothing I could do, and I felt like there should have been. I felt like something was taken away from me, even though the terms of service didn't tell me it was mine to begin with.
Hopefully game service developers will recognize the importance of online identities and the amount of spirit we invest in them. We spend time building a character, socializing, completing missions, and that effort goes INTO something -- a virtual space that is primarily pointed to our nickname. It's very important. Our nickname is the handle to the special place all our energy went!
I think a valuable thing they could offer is a sort of bill of rights for players. They're not OBLIGATED to do this, it's just something they can OFFER. As more and more game services come into the scene, maybe they can compete by offering varying amounts of freedom, which are described in the players' bill of rights.
One item on the bill of rights could be:
1) Any chosen nickname played for more than an hour that isn't rejected by the system immediately goes through a "probationary period". The player must understand that it takes a while for a GM to get around to approving or denying the name. But the privilege given to the player is that AFTER those 2 weeks, you get to keep the name!
I know this is not perfect. They need to reserve the ultimate right to yank a bad nickname even if it survives the 2 week probationary period if it's extremely bad and slips through the cracks. But a rule like this would have caught "CmdrTaco" before he poured his heart into his character!
My point is that they CAN offer a limited amount of freedom. I wish they would. Maybe the free market will work here? If freedom is really important to gamers, then it follows that of all great games, the ones that can offer more freedom will be greater.
As long as we do exactly what CmdrTaco did here, and express our unhappiness, the game service developers will see how important it is, and will possibly compete to be able to give it to us. Remember, they WANT to make us happy -- that's why they made the game... I hope.
One's online identity really is important. I registered when xbox live was brand new as "void". I know it's not an original word or anything, so I don't expect to get it when I sign up for a forum somewhere, but I signed up the night xbox live went public so I could get it, and I got it!
I was really excited. Lots of mechs got killed by void (ok, not all that many, but I had some memorable kills) in Mech Assault, and my friends had me on their friends list (well, ok, I don't have THAT many friends but that isn't my point). It was my identity and if one person, including me, has any memory associated with it, then it is important that it is retained. It represents a certain "investment of spirit".
Then one day I got a message when I logged in saying I couldn't use xbox live until I changed my name, and they wouldn't even tell me why. I called, emailed, and no one would tell me why. I had a friend who worked for xbox online and he might have known why, but was not allowed to discuss it with me.
That sucked. I felt so helpless. I wanted to have a tantrum like a little kid because it seemed like there was nothing I could do, and I felt like there should have been. I felt like something was taken away from me, even though the terms of service didn't tell me it was mine to begin with.
Hopefully game service developers will recognize the importance of online identities and the amount of spirit we invest in them. We spend time building a character, socializing, completing missions, and that effort goes INTO something -- a virtual space that is primarily pointed to our nickname. It's very important. Our nickname is the handle to the special place all our energy went!
I think a valuable thing they could offer is a sort of bill of rights for players. They're not OBLIGATED to do this, it's just something they can OFFER. As more and more game services come into the scene, maybe they can compete by offering varying amounts of freedom, which are described in the players' bill of rights.
One item on the bill of rights could be:
1) Any chosen nickname played for more than an hour that isn't rejected by the system immediately goes through a "probationary period". The player must understand that it takes a while for a GM to get around to approving or denying the name. But the privilege given to the player is that AFTER those 2 weeks, you get to keep the name!
I know this is not perfect. They need to reserve the ultimate right to yank a bad nickname even if it survives the 2 week probationary period if it's extremely bad and slips through the cracks. But a rule like this would have caught "CmdrTaco" before he poured his heart into his character!
My point is that they CAN offer a limited amount of freedom. I wish they would. Maybe the free market will work here? If freedom is really important to gamers, then it follows that of all great games, the ones that can offer more freedom will be greater.
As long as we do exactly what CmdrTaco did here, and express our unhappiness, the game service developers will see how important it is, and will possibly compete to be able to give it to us. Remember, they WANT to make us happy -- that's why they made the game... I hope.
