10 Things Blizzard Want You To Forget

This was a move that was jettisoned almost as soon as it was formulated, but in 2010 Blizzard announced that all forum users and posters would be required to use their real name. No Alias'.

There is a clear logic to Blizzards thinking here.

The internet and especially video game communities can attract unfortunate people that believe it is "funny" to troll people, especially people of colour, women, LGBTQIA+ and SEND people. It would make sense for Blizzard, a company that tries to promote diversity and equality, to want to stamp out this kind of behaviour.

However, it wasn't just the trolls that were angry about this decision.

Though Blizzard was clear on the level of protection users would get with their data, having your real name out there can be dangerous. If an unscrupulous type were to put the time in to find out who you are (even in 2010, it wasn't difficult to track down people on social media) you could find yourself getting grief in real life over that Starcraft game you sweated.

Video games are the ultimate escapism, so for Blizzard to remove that role-playing immersion would have been devastating.