World of Warcraft developer Blizzard Entertainment has introduced a controversial naming policy for its forthcoming massively multiplayer RPG game. Players will be kicked out if they choose a name for their character which appears to incite racial hatred, and will be warned and told to change any monicker that refers to real-life stars or sexual acts, or that uses leet speak. In fact, anything that seems a bit silly and capable of breaking the immersive spell of the game could be deemed off limits.
Good idea? Well, it'll stop people wandering the fantasy realms of Warcraft with names like R01fH@rri$ and Poodlefondler, which is good. But does the policy strike at the very heart of the MMORPG experience, i.e. an online culture created and governed by its inhabitants? Is this the first step along the slippery waste disposal chute that leads to censorship?
And is the fact that such a policy needs to be put forward a sad and damning indictment of human behaviour in cyberspace?
