Want to Post on Blizzard’s Forums? Prepare to Debuff Your Privacy

One of the most popular methods of communication on the Web today is by way of message forums (or boards). We of course have our own, filled with lots to read and discuss with other knowledgeable posters. We’re not alone, of course, as it’s almost a given that most content sites out there have message forums, because after all, it’s a simple way to discuss issues with other people, regardless of skill level.

At the best of times, forums can offer an unbelievable amount of useful information, because after all, people who generally discuss things on a forum tend to be passionate about the subject at hand. But at the worst of times, the same forums can find itself infested with trolls… and no, we’re not talking about the kind of trolls that you can gain XP and level up from.

A widely agreed upon definition for troll is someone who simply wants to start up some ruckus on a forum… someone who doesn’t have anything intelligent to say, but wants to say something anyway, and at times battle unimportant issues to the death. Fortunately, we’ve experienced little of that since our site came to be, but I’ve seen it happen many times on other forums, and sometimes… it’s cringe-worthy.

Some argue that the reason trolls exist is because on the Internet, you’re for the most part completely anonymous. You’re not posting under a real name (unless by choice), but rather an alias, or nickname. On some forums, I post as “Deathspawner”, but it’s not because I plan to troll or need to remain anonymous. After all, it’s not exactly that difficult to find out my true identity with a quick Web search (not that I’ve looked, of course). I’m sure a lot of people are in similar situations.

But it doesn’t take being a member of a forum too long to find the problem I’m talking about, and apparently for Blizzard, the issue has become so problematic, that it’s going to soon require people to create a “Real ID” that will identify them on most of the developer’s game forums by their real name. In my case, I’d have to chuck Deathspawner out the window and stick with my real name, Tech Gage. Err, Rob Williams.

By doing this, Blizzard is taking a major risk, as not many people are going to be pleased with having to use their real names online. How many times have we heard to do the exact opposite? Not surprisingly, not many people can see eye-to-eye on the issue. Some don’t mind the change, and figure it will get rid of trolls, while others don’t like the fact that they have to give up some of their security only to post on a message board.

The issue might have been dampened just a wee bit if Blizzard would have allowed an initial for the last name, but even then, not everyone has a common name, so if a stalker of some sort (and believe it or not, they’re out there in droves) wanted to find someone with a rather unique name, Blizzard would make it easy for people to track them down if they play a Blizzard game. This might sound like paranoia, but the issue of stalkers and other kinds of creeps is all too real.

Personally, I’m fiercely opposed to the decision made by Blizzard here, as I feel people should do all they can to remain anonymous online where non-important matters are concerned. Of course, the success of Facebook, Twitter and all the other apps contradicts my thinking but still, there’s a difference between opting into something and being forced into it. I’m not quite sure what Blizzard is thinking here.

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. The classic Battle.net forums, including those for Diablo II and Warcraft III, will be moving to a new legacy forum section with the release of the StarCraft II community site and at that time will also transition to using Real ID for posting.