I love social media, I use it with my business but it’s separate from my gaming time. We engage in social media within MMORPG’s too, and I love that. It’s just different from the way I normally use it, and I’m fine with that. In fact, I love that! However, Blizzard is bent on merging the two and seemingly fixed on using your real name to do this.

I really don’t look at this as a major victory, if it were Blizz, would stated something like, “We’ll never force you to share your personal information with others that play WoW.” To me, it smacks of them taking their customer base for granted. Whatever we do they’ll always be around and I don’t like that.

I didn’t like Real ID from the first time I heard about it, initially I thought we would see something similar to this. I have my suspicions of what Blizz will unveil in the near future too, so I’ll be watching it closely but from afar.

Oh, well said. Well said, indeed!

Plus I am enjoying my time in Lord of the Rings Online. Found a nice kinship to do some RP with. Oh yes LOTRO has kin and player housing.

Doesn’t mean I won’t be back at Cataclysm because well…

But I think that gives Blizz 6 months or so to FUBAR another idea.

TBH, I know there is another shoe to drop. what we have isn’t really god enough (see above) and it is just an open door.

I hope, no as godforsaken as I maybe, I pray, that they convert to a handle.

But… I am prepared for when they don’t. The question is whether I and the many other vocal people can be bothered fighting… or whether we will just step back and search for another gaming company = which will probably demand the same thing on sign up.

I love the game, but I feel like a frog and the temp is still rising, the problem is all the cool ponds nearby are sitting on hotplates waiting for their owners to ignite the burners.

Enjoy the Real Life… cause there can be no doubt it is better than the RealID

The shame of it… I really, like REALLY want to connect with the people that have supported me through this… but RealID, the only channel currently, prevents this.

I don’t want people to know more about me, and more importantly, I don’t want a ring of strangers knowing about each other… no one signs up for that

The bigger issue is that I am no longer just a subscriber, I’m a marketing and advertising tool for actiblizzbook, or soon will be. That is something I will not pay to be used as.

And you’re completely right, there is another shoe that will drop. It’s just a question of when.

And yes, I think there is more up their sleeve. I noticed the same wording as you did, that more would be available for those who opt into the program. So if they can’t force you into it, they will buy you into with pretty in-game items, mounts, whatnot or though peer pressure from guildies and other players.

I just don’t see how getting tells in-game from friends who don’t play at all will be a good thing (because that is what they want, to make it so you can chat with your facebook friends in WoW). Can you see being in a raid and having a friend who knows nothing of them writing to you? Wondering why you are ignoring them? And are you supposed to say, “I’m in a raid”? Because they will likely have no clue what the hell you are talking about or they will think that this is a game and it shouldn’t be so intensive that you can’t just write a line to someone.

And still there is the supposed in-game advertising. I will not pay a subscription fee for someone to advertise to me.

So yes, the trust is broken. They are just another corporation to me now. Just another corp trying to find a way to make the most money as possible. If they lose their current fan base? As long as the next one is bigger, then they don’t care.

Miss Medicina posted that her faith was restored. Mine, alas, is not, and cannot be, restored without many, many actions in good faith by Blizzard.

For now, I’m playing it by ear. If they don’t modify RealID to use unified handles, and then extend the thing again, I’ll be less likely to be patient with them.

Oh, and glad to see you back

I wanted to say, I admire your balls… of fire. =D