PvP Trolls join the anti-RL-ident front

Original content of the post - and subsequent posts in this thread - removed by the author since it was no longer deemed a welcome part of the forum society by the game owning company and it's staff.


This thread used to contain information about the newest version of the Arena Rating system (and the Matchmaking Rating System) implemented in the game. Official explanations of the system on European mediums were lacklustre, or non-existant, and the PvP forum received a steady daily feed of questions regarding the system. As a troll disguised behind a level 3 alternate named after Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer, a Dutch mathematician decided it's time to intervene. This time, instead of Brouwer fixed point theorem, in the form of Arena Rating FAQ. I was in an extent happy to contribute here: I'm glad this thread has been here, and I'm glad for the positive feedback I've received and hopefully this thread has stood out as an example of the value of community initiative on the forums can be.

However, time has come for this thread to leave the forums, and I suspect Luitzen Egbertus' memory will be left with a stain of a forum ban for this. I strongly disagree with the real-life name system being imposed on the new forum system to be with the launch of the Cataclysm expansion. I feel it will, for various reasons, detract many people from posting here, possibly delivering a lethal blow to what still are sound and useful forums. I for one will not participate in the discussion under my real-life name: in fact, I've rarely participated on my main characters' names. I feel my contribution however proves
that quality of content does not arise from the avatar and the name next to it, but from forum atmosphere and individual posters - these are interconnected, and woven together by the act of moderation. An argument I've constantly held.

Moderation is something done to keep forums clean - however, with the little attention the European forums have ever received from the game staff, this moderation has been weak and the lack of it has contributed to the flambuyoant atmosphere that exists now. Moderation, in the form of aggressive, temporary bans (and extending these to longer bans on repeat offenses) would appear a sensible way of cleaning the forums (it is suspected, however, that the true colours of this change aren't to clean the forums, but to sell installation of a system that's to become more tied to social networks, and your real life identities, than what any game has ever been).

With this suspicion, the company has chosen to attack a symptom of the problem, which is poor posting quality, with an iron grip. Of course, ignoring the actual problem itself: lack of proper moderating. Doing so, the company in possession has decided to implement a system which in the framework of a modern internet society equals the Gestapo of the 1930-1940s. Forcing people to attend their real-life names (since my account was registered before I even dared to imagine such could ever happen, I've registered my account on my actual, real name instead of a gimmick) in order to say receive technological support on the game forums is unacceptable. This isn't a warranty office of a local tech firm. The internet a direct attendance of billions, and a memory of Zeus. Obviously, the community discussion is to an extent no longer wanted here.

It is sad that instead of providing more customer service and a better degree of forum moderation, the company resorts to Stasi -level tactics of intimidating their customers into silence. The lack of understanding on what the real consequences are going to be is staggering.

The new wave of ad hominem has already started. On the General Discussions -thread of the subject, the "trolls" that are "for" this change are already calling references to people who are "against it", along the lines of "wonder why these 6k achievement points HC LK realm first people are against this". Once these changes land, you will find that the actually intelligent social base is gone too, and your trolls remain. Next time around the trolls will simply flame your actual person instead of your character avatar. They'll come with fake names, since there's little method of verification on non-credit card paid accounts anyway.

Enjoy your forums.