Another "Wall of Separation" needed

Disclaimer: First off, I'm not much of a gamer online or off, so I don't have a horse in the proverbial race. But when Jeff Atwood and Felicia Day called out the upcoming requirement for RealID on the World of Warcraft forums, I took notice. Ashelia gives the insider's take on why this is a particularly bad idea, so I won't reiterate those.

In the vast majority of cases, I'd champion transparency--sunlight being the best disinfectant and all. This is not one of those cases.

I think what's implied, but not explicitly stated, is simply that nearly every downside to MMORPGs ultimately rolls up to folks who can't draw the line between a game and The Real World. And Blizzard's decision to blur that line even further just strikes me as mortally bone-headed. Normally, I'd write it off with a shrug and a "Live by the Stupid, die by The Stupid, morons. Except that I can pretty much bet that this will end with someone stalked and dead and Blizzard having at least one butt-cheek sued off and having to take the Evony low-road to maintain their gravy-train profits.

(Oh,and, by the bye--just purely incidentally, mind you--online gaming is further sensationalized/demonized in public opinion.)

In the long term, no one wins. And, frankly, that brasses me off because any number of suits should have known better. Even toddlers--heck, even that my cats, who exactly aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer--have a better sense of context. The whole point of gaming is to exchange the interacting and problem-solving that Real Life requires for the interacting and problem-solving that actually interests and engages people. Granted, I can't point to corroborating stats, but I feel pretty safe in guessing that most folks mentally impose that Wall of Separation for their own well being ('cuz, well, that's kinda the whole point an' all...). Blizzard has to know how over-the-line bulldozing that wall is. But, then, you can say pretty much the same for every other big-business blow-out ever.