With all the hubbub about Blizzard’s reversed stance on the use of real names in the forums (for now), it’s easy to forget that the Real ID system brings in a wide array of changes, most of which are staying in place. While much of the functionality is handy, the implementation of the system comes with significant drawbacks. After watching Facebook, Blizzard’s new partner, get torn apart in the media over privacy concerns, one might think that Blizzard would be a bit more careful in implementing features that involve a player’s real name. This week, we look at Blizzard’s Real ID, and the pros and cons of the various aspects of the system.

Blizzard has nixed their plan to attach a user’s real name to the Real ID service. The decision came after a not entirely positive response from battle.net users. Although the abandoned feature earned a lot of attention for its role as troll deterrent, as USAtoday noted, the more significant role for real names would be [...]