After years of moderating a cesspool of trolling, spamming, and general immaturity on their provided forums; Blizzard Entertainment attempted to institute a policy requiring those who would post on their official forums to disclosure their full and legal, or “real” name with each post or reply, instead of an online moniker or in-game character name.
However, after a tidal wave of negative responses towards the new policy ranging from vagrant replies to well-informed posts regarding our basic rights to privacy, Blizzard Entertainment CEO and Co-Founder Mike Morhaime issued a statement explaining that the disclosure of one’s real name will not be implemented through the Real ID feature at this time.
Though in legal context this policy would not violate rights to privacy, since posting on the forums is not necessary to play the games which you’ve purchased; this policy and response shows a lack of foresight towards privacy issues in a digital age, a contradiction to the current Battle.net Forum Guidelines and Rules, and disregard for certain social aspects that gravitate around the mass of online gaming.
From the online gaming community perspective it is also lacking in spirit by detracting from the esprit de corps of one’s online persona, which though an extension of one’s “real persona”, is something in and of itself.
Known as “Real ID,” the new community-connection feature intended to, among other things; provide an iron-fist response to the recklessness commonly seen within the Battle.net and World of Warcraft Forums.
As Blizzard Poster, Nethaera, stated;
“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.”
However, children play these games, aside from adults. It takes no degree, no expertise, but only common sense to realize that children will act accordingly to their age.
Though in an era when senior citizens can unleash a textual rant edging on juvenile immaturity while hidden behind their “veil of anonymity”, there is no proof but only conjecture that forcing one to name themselves and thus be held accountable to their words on their name will result in mature discourse.
Just check out the Myspace.com Forums. I’ve been in conversation with people on that site who are just out-of-control with the way they communicated back to me; knowing that I had full access to their name, age, city and state (at a time when I worked for a few airlines). Did that stop them from their berational barrage? Absolutely not.
And when children as young as eight play games such as World of Warcraft, how could one expect a person so young to conduct themselves as a considerate adult? There is a lapse in rational there, and a gaping one at that.
As the Center for Democracy and Technology stated on their Web Site, “Without privacy, freedom of expression is chilled and dissent becomes risky. A sense of being watched is deeply corrosive of democracy and human development.”
Considering the Battle.net Forum Guidelines and Rules states:
“These forums are here to provide you with a friendly environment where you can discuss ideas, give game play advice, role-play, and converse about any other aspects of Blizzard’s games with other players. Community forums are at their best when participants treat their fellow posters with respect and courtesy. Therefore, we ask that you conduct yourself in a civilized manner when participating in these forums.”
It seems rather Orwellian to institute such a policy.
For requiring one to name themselves, for the sake of accountability in context to an open forum, treats a name as bar code.
Though the issue of immaturity will arise in response to this, one cannot combat immaturity through accountability. People will act immature even though accountable for their acts if it is their nature or disposition to do so. Did the disclosure of one’s name during roll-call in class (at any grade or educational level) halt one’s immaturity from arising while discussing materials or ideas in the course?
As a college graduate and one gifted with a memory as verbose as mine (I remember stuff back to when I was 3 and 4, quite vividly) I can say for a fact that I’ve witnessed immaturity at every level of my education. Especially in context to this one guy (a business major) I took Contemporary Moral Issues with. To him, falsifying accounting books or filling a small office with people acting as though they were busy answering phones to give an illusion that the business did well to obtain advertising in a well-to-do publication was absolutely fair game.
His response to my opinion of his own opinion was simply, “whatever man.”
By requiring a customer to disclosure personal information to others, considering our American ideals towards privacy, with a purpose of combating immaturity, is itself logically immature.
People online create a persona that represents something about them that is personal, that speaks to their core perhaps even more so than their given name; by combining the two the esprit de corps of that persona evaporates. In response to the forum posts plenty of people stated to a degree, that their post or reply due to the Real ID policy would be their last within an official Blizzard forum.
Were these potential issues considered before Nethaera’s post went live? It appears not.
Furthermore, the Battle.net Forum Guideline and Rules state the following:
“Releasing any real-life information about other players or Blizzard Entertainment employees.
If a player is found to have participated in such actions, he/she will: Be permanently banned from the Battle.net forums.”
Rather contradictory wouldn’t you rationalize?
Yet Morhaime stated, “we’ve decided at this time that real names will not be required for posting on official Blizzard forums.”
Thus leaving the door slightly ajar for that requirement to be implemented at sometime down the road.
Leaky ships on the open seas allow for the life in the water to breach their hulls.
As for the social questions that filled my mind when I first learned of the Real ID possibility…
What of minors? Certainly parents have a wealth of access and control over their child’s access to Blizzard games and services, yet their privacy policy states the following, “once a child states that his/her age is under 13, we do not collect or store any personally identifiable information such as name, address, or email address.”
During the time I played World of Warcraft I played with many kids under that age who posted on our Realm Forums frequently. How would they, under the now defunct Real ID policy be privy to post?
And of course the inherent threat of internet stalkers preying on females. This is widely known to occur at every level and through every facet of social internet interaction. But you never know based on the sex of the in-game character nor by the name of that character, what the sex of the individual playing that character is. There is a more tangible veil of anonymity between you and them, it’s called your monitor; and they are not looking glasses. Requiring all people who post to do so with their real name will only place the ladies that play your games under an unwanted spotlight.
A former girlfriend on mine was stalked via her Facebook account. She relocated and only allows friends she knows access to her private information.
Though a name is not an address, see if you can find yourself here, http://www.veromi.com/. Michael Topper typed in my name using that site (as a control to this point) and guess who was atop the list? That’s right, me. Name, age, and city.
Also, professionals that responded to the policy post stated they would be disenfranchised from posting on official Blizzard forums because they don’t want patients/clients, fellow co-workers, or even potential employers to know their opinion on their past-time. They keep their professional life and their private (or personal life) separate. A simple Google search would breach that separation.
Furthermore public figures of every shape, size, and career choice play these games as well. Some of them simply enjoy them, others find an escape within them. Though rather comical, I found a stark pretense in one of the responses on the Battle.net forum post.
“I can’t wait to see names like President Obama posting on the forums,” replied Stalker145.
Though I know after a solid 15 years on the internet this is pissing into an active fan, I do ask that all responses are written with a sense of respect, decency, and tact. Might as well prove to Blizzard and the internet community at large that despite our age, maturity is a personal cultivation rather than measurement of time spent alive. If you believe the winters you have weathered are your sole mark of maturity like the rings in a tree, take time to question your own growth before cutting loose in the comments or posting in forums. The forums are provided as a privilege not a right.
Decency in an open forum requires a moderation of ourselves by ourselves, no requirement of disclosure will ever remedy that truth.
Sincerely,
_delero
