If you're a gamer who revels in your status as a faceless player, you should pay attention to the change Apple rolled out with its Game Center app today.Starting today, when you send a friend request or accept a friend request, your real name in addition to your gamer tag or nickname will be shown to that person. Apple added that new policy in a change to its terms of service agreement to Game Center.
Previously, when you added a friend it only displayed a username. Now, it shows both the person's username and real name. While that may seem harmless to some, it's a change from how most online gaming works.
To understand the importance of privacy for gamers, look no further than the recent controversy kindled by Blizzard Entertainment, the creators of popular World of Warcraft and the StarCraft franchises. In July, Blizzard started requiring users to register with their real names instead of anonymous usernames, but just days later backed down due to the firestorm of criticism from its rabid users.
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