Checking in

[cleolinda]

So, a few things--mostly Twilight-related, now that I think about it. Sorry in advance for that.

I'm still working on the Eclipse thing (eh, we can speak of it. We've all known for months, if not since November 2008, that I would be doing it). For some reason, I pretty much had a mild nervous breakdown trying to do the New Moon one, and for some

Comments

[eregyrn]

It's not just that. It's like they willfully choose not to pay attention when the other places go through this and go THROUGH it again.

Maybe I'm just boggled because a bunch of my friends and I spend a good bit of time keeping up with things -- we read the JF comms and some folks follow other boards and so on -- so there isn't a Stupid Thing that happens that we generally don't hear about. So okay, maybe the segment of Blizzard that came up with this Great Idea isn't the segment that pays any attention to what's going on out there, maybe I am part of an unusually informed circle of people. (My bosses would concur; they are constantly being amazed when I have heard of things, and they'll be all, "what? blah?" and my response 90% of the time is "oh yes, blah -- here's all the background on that" -- I am not even kidding, I got to spend 40 minutes one time explaining RaceFail to my boss, in detail, and the hell of it was, she actually needed to know about it. But I digress.)

But... the GoogleBuzz thing and the Facebook things (multiple!) were reported on in the NATIONAL NEWS. You don't have to be a well-plugged-in geek to have heard about the issues. (Leaving aside the fact that if Blizzard doesn't have at least some well-plugged-in geeks on staff, what's wrong with them?)

I can only conclude that there's some really powerful perception filter going on. Otherwise, I'd have to imagine the people at Blizzard sitting there and saying, with a straight face, "Oh, privacy issues? Yeah, Google got massively bit in the ass over that issue, and Facebook keeps getting bit in the ass over it, but it won't bite OUR asses, no sir!" Like their asses are made of steel or something, and are equipped with forcefields in the bargain.

[deepbluemermaid]

Perhaps Blizzard assumes that WoW is so completely addictive that people won't be able to tear themselves away, even over valid privacy/safety concerns?

(note: I have never played WoW or any MMORPG)

[eregyrn]

I guess it turns out that it's Activision who's made the decision, and Blizzard has to implement it? So maybe Activision doesn't understand the WoW base, while Blizzard does know it's a bad idea... still doesn't explain why Activision thinks it's more special than, say, Google.

[cmdr_zoom]

Because the corporate culture at the company that bought the name of a classic game developer (and have nothing to do with Activision of old) are all about turning their customers into profit generators, in ways that go far beyond actually buying their games. This goes beyond typical gaming industry behavior, IMO, into the realm of the truly sleazy and scary.