Real ID
Real I.D. is a system Blizzard has been working to install through Battle.net, over all of their new games. It provides players with one centralized account through which they can connect to all of Blizzard's games. Real ID is feature-rich and is something that Blizzard clearly spent a lot of time and effort creating. Despite those facts, it's been greeted with a lot of player discord and dislike, since many Blizzard gamers wish to retain some amount of anonymity during their online play and forum activity.
Blizzard's attempt, in July 2010, to compel mandatory real name posting on their forums resulted in an enormous outburst of fan protest, forcing Blizzard to drop their plans for the feature just two days after announcing it. [1]
Battle.net and Facebook Integration
The first real news about Real ID came in May 2010, when Blizzard announced a Facebook / Battle.net integration. [2] Even at that point most community feedback was strongly negative, as fans saw far more drawbacks than benefits to having their real name attached to their gaming habits.
- IRVINE, Calif., May 05, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. announced today that its Battle.net gaming service will integrate with Facebook, linking the world's premier online gaming platform with the world's most popular social platform. The first step in the integration will enable StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty players to quickly add Blizzard gamers who are friends on Facebook to their Battle.net friend lists, facilitating their social gaming experience on the service.
- "We're pleased to be working with Facebook to integrate their platform with Battle.net to enhance the social-entertainment experience for our players," said Paul Sams, chief operating officer of Blizzard Entertainment. "This new functionality will make it easier than ever to connect with friends on Battle.net and play StarCraft II and future Blizzard Entertainment games together."
- The new Facebook functionality in Battle.net will be tested in the near future via the ongoing StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty beta test and will be available to all StarCraft II players when the game ships later this year. Information about other Facebook-related features on Battle.net will be announced at a later date.
Real ID comes to World of Warcraft
A new messaging system tied to Real ID came to WoW on June 22, 2010. It was more feature-rich than the existing WoW friend system, allowing players to speak with others players on different realms, and will allow that with friends playing Starcraft II and other future Battle.net games.
Unfortunately, in the view of many players, it does this with your real name account, something most WoW players have set up since they have a credit card for billing on their WoW account. Early editorials on this new Facebook integration were fairly full of displeasure,[3] and Diablo fans continued to view these developments with trepidation.
Real ID and the Battle.net Forums
While the real name aspect of things in World of arcraft had stirred up some controversy, the public outcry really began on
http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/real-id-comes-to-the-b.net-forums/
- Blue Post: July 7, 2010 -- The Real ID B.net forum debacle begins with the official announcement and much angry user feedback, over two very busy days.
- Dozens and dozens of opinion pieces ensue, along with Blizzard explanations.
- A community vote reveals overwhelming opposition.
- Rumors of intense internal opposition surface.
- Penny Arcade weighs in.
- The EFF voices their opposition.
- And Blizzard quickly buckles under the combined weight of the criticism and rescinds the real names on the forums requirement.
July 16, 2010: Updated FAQ about Real ID is posted, with now non-mandatory real name provisions for Battle.net forum posting.
http://diablo.incgamers.com/blog/comments/answers-to-common-community-questions-about-battlenet-real-id/
