Goodbye World of Warcraft

[Rod.H]

... Seriously, WTF? Someone had better do something before the DoD decides to just yank everyone's internet privileges for safety's sake.

Like what? A mass-raid on Activision's HQ, a TF2 Spycheck on their CEO & board.........

[Morganite]

If I'm reading that second link properly, the Chinese law doesn't require revealing player names to all and sundry. It just requires the game operator to *know* them.

Interesting how SK backed down from Youtube.

-Morgan.

[Evil Midnight Lurker]

Blizz has backed down.
Told ya.
--Sam
"SPOOOOOOON!"

[Bob Schroeck]

Well, it was either that or take a major PR -- and cashflow -- hit. They ran the numbers, and decided that it hurt them less to back down.

Which is the way it should be.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[gamlain]

Well, it was either that or take a major PR -- and cashflow -- hit. They ran the numbers, and decided that it hurt them less to back down.
Which is the way it should be.

The point that this policy would represent a clear and present threat to national security of any given nation with a player base doesn't help. Given the number of enlisted personell who's personal information they'd be publishing if they did it.
  

[Logan Darklighter]

WHEW!!!
Looks like Blizz backed down (for now). Looks like
the massive amounts of account cancellations and a thread on the
official forums that apparently went over FIFTY-THOUSAND Negative posts
got their attention!
I'm cautiously optimistic. And (for now)
I'll re-consider my plans to play the game again.
But no reason
not to keep the swords sharp. I bet this isn't the end of it.
Still
- PARTY!

[robkelk]

Well, it was either that or take a major PR -- and cashflow -- hit. They ran the numbers, and decided that it hurt them less to back down.

Which is the way it should be.

Agreed. I wouldn't be at all surprised if somebody told them, "You can go ahead with this plan, or you can continue doing business in Canada and Europe, but you can't do both."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

[Morganite]

But no reason not to keep the swords sharp. I bet this isn't the end of it.

CONSTANT VIGILANCE!

-Morgan. FFXI-related offers still open for FFXI-related purposes. '.'

[Acyl]

Logan Darklighter wrote:

---

I'm cautiously optimistic. And (for now) I'll re-consider my plans to play the game again.
But no reason not to keep the swords sharp. I bet this isn't the end of it.

I find it interesting to see what other people's ragequit threshold is. Well...I dunno if ragequit is the appropriate word here. Like many folks, my WoW account is currently inactive. I used to play. So what this whole RealID business meant was that I wouldn't ever resubscribe.
And I still won't. I've got a pretty low tolerance with giving my money to people that dick around. This was dicking around. So, uh, no. Yeah, they backpedaled on it. But that doesn't matter. They shouldn't have considered it in the first place.
I'd actually considered reactivating. Partially because of the new expansion coming out, partially because WoW is relevant to my postgrad thesis topic. No, really, it is. I might still pursue this avenue of argument, but I'll do so without the firsthand research. This kind of insensitivity and money-grubbing stupidity doesn't deserve my fifteen dollars.
-- Acyl

[Logan Darklighter]

Acyl wrote:

I'd actually considered reactivating. Partially because of the new expansion coming out, partially because WoW is relevant to my postgrad thesis topic. No, really, it is. I might still pursue this avenue of argument, but I'll do so without the firsthand research. This kind of insensitivity and money-grubbing stupidity doesn't deserve my fifteen dollars.

Yeah, I understand your unwillingness to give them more money. I'm not even in a position to do so currently. So it would still be a few months before I'd play again, if ever. And that gives me plenty of time to watch and see what happens. From what I hear, the current system in-game is one that I'd opt out of because it's BUGGY as all fuck and might give out info inadvertently if not turned off! 

Ok, I'll bite - what IS your postgrad thesis? Now you have me curious.