Blizzard, the publisher of the top online game World of Warcraft, enacted a policy this week that requires users to display their real names. As you can imagine, this isn’t going over well with the “Wizard Troll”s and “Nutjob”s on the forums.
Starting later this month, Blizzard will require users to supply there real names on its official online forum for Starcraft II.
Literally thousands of posts have lit up on Blizzard’s forums in response to the new “RealID” feature.
“possibly the worst idea in the history of bad ideas,” writes one forum user. “You guys have really lost it. I’m simply speechless,” writes another.
Others express privacy concerns, as one of the best things about games like World of Warcraft is that you can avoid your real name and become someone else.
“We respect the privacy of our players and recognize the importance of providing a secure environment for them,” wrote Blizzard in an official statement on its Web site.
Online anonymity is becoming something of a relic. Facebook users use their real name, Amazon highlights user reviews from those who verify their name, and LinkedIn is all about searching for people who want their names be to findable online.
Blizzard says this is a way for users to connect with each other more easily, but so far, it doesn’t look like anyone is too thrilled.
