Editorial: Don’t forget Real ID’s true goal

I didn’t want to say anything about the Real ID thing — Blizzard’s plan to link your real name to your forum posts — but now that Blizzard has said, “Okay, we won’t do that,” can I just throw one more log onto the fire? And this is a personal opinion.

Every negative I heard people cite about linking real-world identities to forum flamewars, I understand. The dangers of real-world stalking are real. The fact that unbalanced people might seek revenge in meatspace is all too plausible. All it takes is one nutcase and the media will be awash in headlines about “The WoW Killer” or something stupid like that (and they won’t be talking about a rival MMO). Opponents to the program, you had me at “But…” This implementation had some major downsides, and they were ultimately deemed too huge to proceed as planned. So Blizzard changed course.

Somewhere along the way, though, I think people lost sight of why Real ID really exists. When Mike Morhaime introduced Real ID on a conference call a few weeks back, it was explained with a much more altruistic angle — and that’s what the Real ID page says, too. “Forming and maintaining meaningful relationships with your friends on the service” is a truly noble goal, and when I say “I like Real ID,” that’s what I’m thinking about. It’s not just about accountability for nasty forum posts, though that’s clearly a benefit, and one I strongly support. I see Real ID as a statement about the gaming culture as a whole and its place in society at large.

Do you treat your online friends with any less respect than you treat your face to face friends? If so, why? And what’s stopping your online friends from becoming “real world” friends? In most cases, I’d bet a nickname is the only real difference. But if we can lower that barrier, I think gaming will continue to mature — when we treat each other with real-world respect, the skeptics can see there’s more to gamers than just flame wars and headshots. Real ID, for me, has the potential to validate online relationships and to remove some of the fear and misunderstanding that comes from unclear or guarded communication. That’s why I was eager to sign up for Real ID as soon as it went live in WoW — it could point the way to a major, positive cultural shift. If you’re going to dream, dream big, right? In the meantime, I am already enjoying that benefit of connecting with real world friends across different servers — which is Real ID’s ultimate goal.

So, as the takeaway from this very heated week, I don’t think the problem is Real ID — it’s the way Real ID can potentially be used (and, I should point out, was not ultimately used). Yes, this technology, like any other, can have negative impact. But you don’t throw away technology; you just use it differently. Blizzard announced a plan to use technology one way, then changed their mind about it based on feedback. It worked, but I don’t think people had to go to the extreme lengths they did to get their point across — I think people were raging against a machine that was already listening all along. Accountability and rational discussion seem to be the internet’s white whales.

But for all the negative reactions, I just hope people don’t discount the positive things this technology can bring, with time and more discussion and thought. There is more to Real ID than this idea. Don’t encourage the caveman to smash the frightening television.