CmdrTaco takes on Blizzard.
by Alphaville Herald on 26/10/05 at 5:09 pm
There is an interesting story in slashdot, by one CmdrTaco, who was forced to change his WoW name by the game owner Blizzard Entertainment. Why? Because ‘Cmdr’ is a title he hasn’t earned. Never mind that “Commander” isn’t even a title you can earn in the game and never mind that CmdrTaco is this guys screen name from the dawn of time. CmdrTaco has lots of interesting things to say, but my favorite passage is this:
I don’t think I’ll quit WoW over this, but I will take away some lessons. The GM I talked to had a nickname of something like Lathanian. I found this disconcerting. If you were arrested by Officer Snuggles or found guilty by the honorable Judge Lawtron, it’s hard to take that seriously. In this case ‘Punishment’ is being dealt. A real human is wearing a shroud of anonymity and handing out the bitchslap to a total stranger. That really makes the whole experience even more dehumanizing. In a massive virtual world, we’re still people.
You don’t see names and faces, which is why you’ll see a 60 corpse camp a 30. When you don’t see the real person on the other side, the tendency is just to forget. You expect it from opposing factions- but it feels different when it’s the GM.
RB
Oct 27th, 2005
If it’s not in the game, where’s the problem?
- RB.
Walker Spaight
Oct 27th, 2005
I think it is in the game, actually. I had earlier reported that it wasn’t, but I think in fact it is.
Still, “Cmdr” is not in the game.
Prokofy Neva
Oct 27th, 2005
Hi, Walker, is WoW the new golf? Is that where you spend your time now? LOL : )
Walker Spaight
Oct 28th, 2005
Heh, obviously it’s not where I spend much of my time (well, a little), or I’d know there was a Commander title.
And yes, as Goldfish Cory tells us, WoW is the new golf. At least among academics and VW devs. (Not gamedevs, though. Apparently, they don’t play games, at least, according to the stereotype.)