Blizzard to require real names for forums

[Danqazmlp]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

[stonewall337]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

Neither do I. I wouldn't like others in the future knowing though, EG future employers, etc. That is my main issue.

[ArtemisCatal]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

 

It would only take one crazy psychotic morron to make you wish you had hidden... in a bomb proof building.

[Pirate_Felix]

Also, felix, those people CHOOSE to do so, and I doubt many post their full name.

You should post more on Off Topic, i know lotsa people with full names (not posting them on a runescape board)

[Sir_Kurity]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

 

Say you get into a debate with someone, and the other person doesnt like your point of view.

 

Look up real name, troll your email, facebook, find where you live, egg you house if he happens to be in your area, make prank calls, etc.

[Pirate_Felix]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

 

Say you get into a debate with someone, and the other person doesnt like your point of view.

 

Look up real name, troll your email, facebook, find where you live, egg you house if he happens to be in your area, etc.

Look up their name, call the police.

[Quyneax]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

 

Say you get into a debate with someone, and the other person doesnt like your point of view.

 

Look up real name, troll your email, facebook, find where you live, egg you house if he happens to be in your area, etc.

Look up their name, call the police.

 

International email spam police?

[stonewall337]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

 

Say you get into a debate with someone, and the other person doesnt like your point of view.

 

Look up real name, troll your email, facebook, find where you live, egg you house if he happens to be in your area, etc.

Look up their name, call the police.

Gl proving how did it.

[ArtemisCatal]

I have nothing to hide so would not bother me too much.

 

Say you get into a debate with someone, and the other person doesnt like your point of view.

 

Look up real name, troll your email, facebook, find where you live, egg you house if he happens to be in your area, etc.

Look up their name, call the police.

 

Well, I don't know about where you live, but poice in my corner of the U.S. rarely take stalking as serious as they should, especially among teenagers. Its just "teenager/college student stuff" and they will "get over it". Unless someone has actually assalted you, you stand little chance of anything being done. Even petty vandalism against someones car or egging someones house is just "it's stupid teenage/college student stuff". Hell, even killing someones cat is not "a serious police issue". Then the bully comes back and sues the victims and loses in court but wins in the national media. Gets on Good Morning America. It's a total farce!! (true storry, btw)

[Sir_Kurity]

Look up their name, call the police.

 

How do you know who he is?

 

The person who is letterbombing you could easily be someone who doesnt even post, just reads your posts and doesnt like you or your point of view. Or he could be any of the 5-10 random people who are arguing with you.

 

And when all thats done, good luck proveing it.

[Obtaurian]

I am David D Davidson, prove im not

Your debit card.

 

I kind of like the idea, an MMO isn't a private thing it's a PUBLIC thing. The internet is public and if you can't handle that, it's tough. If you don't want people to know who you really are when you spam, the solution is simply not to spam.

 

I would like that to come to the RS forums. It's not like they'd put your full name in view, it'd be just used for authentication I'd say. At least that's how I'd prefer to have it.

you seem to think that bad things will only happen to people who do bad things on the internet.

 

This. As it is in the real world, the internet is not full of fairies and unicorns who prance merrily through the streets, hand in hand.

 

EDIT: Actually, the internet IS full of fairies and unicorns. Sorry.

[ArtemisCatal]

I am David D Davidson, prove im not

Your debit card.

 

I kind of like the idea, an MMO isn't a private thing it's a PUBLIC thing. The internet is public and if you can't handle that, it's tough. If you don't want people to know who you really are when you spam, the solution is simply not to spam.

 

I would like that to come to the RS forums. It's not like they'd put your full name in view, it'd be just used for authentication I'd say. At least that's how I'd prefer to have it.

 

The city street is public too. That doesn't mean I walk around with a name tag, and hand out cards with my home adress to every person I met.

[pulli23]

Nope, why is it a disaster? Why do you have to hide your online identity from your real life identity?

 

It's like joining a new sports team and then saying: "hey I'm coming to join your club, however you can never know my real adress & telephone number".

 

A sports team is a PUBLIC figure. A virtual game is a PRIVATE pass time. That is one reason. Another is future schooling/employment. Now a days, many different people conduct searches to find out information about prospective students or employees. Finding out one is a gamer could hurt your chances, depending on where you work. The same is true for posting pictures on Face book, EG post pictures of you being drunk wouldn't exactly impress a future employer.

 

Not to mention, within 10 minutes I found the facebook page, phone number, address, and email address of Timmy's Grandmother, for those of you who remember "TImmy gets hacked" on the news. It could ruin someones day, or even life. Internet pranksters are many, and not all are harmless.

Uhm what makes a game played with thousands of others private, yet a game played with a few close friends something public?

 

Then don't post those pictures?

 

And well if gaming would lessen your chances you can always claim that you keep private life and job strictly seperated, and so should the employee...

 

But all those "pranksters" also exist in real life, you should just use common sense on what to post and what not.

 

 

The city street is public too. That doesn't mean I walk around with a name tag, and hand out cards with my home adress to every person I met.

yet if someone asks your name and you say another name, you are committing identity fraud!

[ArtemisCatal]

The city street is public too. That doesn't mean I walk around with a name tag, and hand out cards with my home adress to every person I met.

yet if someone asks your name and you say another name, you are committing identity fraud!

Well, I don't necessarily have to answer them. I can always say "I prefer not to disclose that information".

 

edit: oviously, if it was something that required my name to do, I would choose if giving up my name was worth doing said thing. Like, I don't care enough about posting on WOW forums to have my real name posted (I don't even play), so I wouldn't do that. Other instances, of course, would be different. The answer would be different for different people. It all about what is important to them, and what their toleration/estimation of the risks are.

[Ronan]

And well if gaming would lessen your chances you can always claim that you keep private life and job strictly separated, and so should the employee...

The problem with this is that in many cases, especially the situation in the UK at the moment, employers have strict filtering in a lot of situations and won't give you the chance to speak up for yourself. If they see anything that has stereotypes of wasteful time, immaturity or any such sort - they may well just drop your application. Naturally, claims may be different, but it's fairly apparent it's as such. ;)

 

This kind of goes both ways for me - on the one hand I think it 'could' act as a deterrent for the spam, immaturity and general nonsense that plagues the forums due to the anonymity they present. Yet, I think in some ways those who are repetitively 'troll-like' will do it regardless of people being able to find out their address or phone number. The personal-touch may not be enough to combat that.

 

I also think that as a game, especially as an RPG, RuneScape's obviously got an underlying tone of 'being' your character. When you play, or post, you're posting 'as' your character. (Forum avatars only help to enhance this feeling). By putting your 'real-name' on the forum it pulls away from that concept of 'being' your character that quite a few seem to seek in these types of games.

 

It could also be relatively difficult to provide actual verification of this, as many have said already. If the feature wasn't mandatory, then it would in many ways invalidate the whole aim of the process. But if it helped contribute to making the forums a better place, I'd be all for it! :)

[Quyneax]

[hide]

Nope, why is it a disaster? Why do you have to hide your online identity from your real life identity?

 

It's like joining a new sports team and then saying: "hey I'm coming to join your club, however you can never know my real adress & telephone number".

 

A sports team is a PUBLIC figure. A virtual game is a PRIVATE pass time. That is one reason. Another is future schooling/employment. Now a days, many different people conduct searches to find out information about prospective students or employees. Finding out one is a gamer could hurt your chances, depending on where you work. The same is true for posting pictures on Face book, EG post pictures of you being drunk wouldn't exactly impress a future employer.

 

Not to mention, within 10 minutes I found the facebook page, phone number, address, and email address of Timmy's Grandmother, for those of you who remember "TImmy gets hacked" on the news. It could ruin someones day, or even life. Internet pranksters are many, and not all are harmless.

Uhm what makes a game played with thousands of others private, yet a game played with a few close friends something public?

 

Then don't post those pictures?

 

And well if gaming would lessen your chances you can always claim that you keep private life and job strictly seperated, and so should the employee...

 

But all those "pranksters" also exist in real life, you should just use common sense on what to post and what not.

 

 

The city street is public too. That doesn't mean I walk around with a name tag, and hand out cards with my home adress to every person I met.

yet if someone asks your name and you say another name, you are committing identity fraud!

[/hide]

 

Since you don't have to tell people you know irl you play the game, it's private. With sports, it's rather hard to hide you play a match, especially if it has spectators.

 

+1

 

It's prejuduces you're worrying about here... don't think you can just claim you're a casual player and be off. Depends a lot on the employer I suppose.

 

Just use common sense... and it's common sense not to give out personal details... yet those people will have to.

[Slayer_Jesse]

Knowing a person's first name is the best way to get dox, and then proceed to troll the cabbage out of them. I can see WoW taking a big hit from this.

[darksonic45]

The worst part about all of this is the aftermath. Blizzard is an extremely successful company and many different companies copy their tactics. What's going to happen once other games follow this trend? What happens after someone takes a PK a little too seriously?

[Quyneax]

The worst part about all of this is the aftermath. Blizzard is an extremely successful company and many different companies copy their tactics. What's going to happen once other games follow this trend? What happens after someone takes a PK a little too seriously?

 

I do think Jagex knows they have a young enough audience that this would be totally unacceptable... I hope. Wish them luck :ohnoes:.

 

(don't know about other games really, but on Steam I use my irl name, does that count?)

[Ronan]

What happens after someone takes a PK a little too seriously?

That's quite true - although yea, Quyneax, I think you're right in that Jagex wouldn't implement this kind of thing - but I didn't think about those would seek vendettas for things like PKing... Good point. ;)

[Maximusa]

 

Besides. I not sure how this effects adults who pay for their kids but im guessing it would show their I.D which is kinda stupid. Cant show a childs I.D either way im sure.

 

I dont think it should be allowed on blizzard, nor do I think jagex should do it. I also dont think it makes a difference besides seeming wrong to do.

[Sir_Kurity]

What happens after someone takes a PK a little too seriously?

 

Oh yea, that would be bad.

 

You PJED ME AND I LOST MY D CLAWS OMG YOU ARE SO DWEAD!!

[Aslan]

Stay out of RSOF then.Works for me.

[darksonic45]

Blizzard will cancel this, after a few threats between players, kidnappings or murders.

 

I will be sad to see all the people whose lives will be negatively impacted by blizzards ignorance of player safety. I also hope that this does not become a trend with gaming.

They'll probably just permaban the players which will lead to more rage.

 

Also I'd like to show you guys this.

I really think the only time Blizzard will stop this is after something like that happens and they get sued.

[Quyneax]

Blizzard will cancel this, after a few threats between players, kidnappings or murders.

 

I will be sad to see all the people whose lives will be negatively impacted by blizzards ignorance of player safety. I also hope that this does not become a trend with gaming.

They'll probably just permaban the players which will lead to more rage.

 

Also I'd like to show you guys this.

I really think the only time Blizzard will stop this is after something like that happens and they get sued.

 

Realistically its going to be a minor who gets hurt, and blizzard will be held liable at that point.

 

But i have no doubt that someone WILL get hurt and someone WILL find a way to sue.

 

Hey, it's the US.