Real ID Strikes Again

"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."

So, upon reading this my first take on it was wow. Will it do what they are saying? Of course it probably will, but that doesn't state all the other things it can do. Upon posting this on the forums and giving out his real name someone respond to the thread with directions on how to get to his house within 35minutes. Real ID from the start for me has been something I have been cool with. It is helpful for the people you know or maybe even family members who play on different servers to get a hold of them. Does mean I was going let all the people that asked for my Real ID information to get it. I am sorry, but I do like some privacy and don't want to be bugged endlessly. The difference now is that if you want to contribute anything in a public forum you have to provide your identity. This is different than Facebook when you have the choice to give your name away. Blizzard is basically saying everyone can have the information that we have if you want to here are our rules, but the rules have changed part way through the game. My point is I don't care who knows my name, the point is simple Real ID was supposed to be a choice and now they are removing things that people do if they don't want to participate. That is one bad thing, the other is when is the line drawn and when are they giving out too much information. Being able to find someones house is 35minutes to me is beyond a little creepy. Do I want people showing up at my door? Of course not.

Blizzard needs to be upfront on when this will stop and where the line is or I feel they will start losing a lot of their player base. Trying to make it more connected is going to make people less inclined to participate at all.