Friday, December 18, 2009
The Blizzard Authenticator - A rip off in itself
I saw an article on mmocrunch about world of warcraft authenticators. The little device that generates a second code needed to log in (you don't have the device, you can't log in, even if you've hacked the regular password). I wrote the following:
I am surprised how people are so excited to spend money on these if they are so necessary to play the game.
If it’s a necessary part of the game, why doesn’t it come with the game – or atleast after X amount of subscription time they send you one?
It’s like you guys rented a house, then your real excited to buy a lock and key for the front door – the house should come with one.
I mean, if the game didn't come with a password field at all and you 'only' had to pay $6.50 to get one, would you think that's great? No, you'd insist it should come with a password field. You'd say it's absolutely necessary to have one.
And yet you say the Blizz authenticator is absolutely necessary as well.
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They are still considering making it mandatory to have an authenticator for the game, maybe when the next expansion comes out and considering all the hacks and such, it's quite handy to have.
ReplyDeleteIf one comes in the box when you buy the game, fair enough.
ReplyDeleteIf you buy the game but then find you have to buy more stuff or the game doesn't work, it matches some of the oldest cons in the world.
You'd probably agree that you don't have to intend to do something bad, to do something bad.
And I mean by your own standards of what bad is - sometimes we don't put all the pieces together in time.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a necessary part of the game at all. It's an optional security measure that many people are keen to get to protect their already considerable investment in the game (years worth of subscription fees and playtime).
ReplyDeleteThe $6 charge is the cost of the device, nothing more. If you have an iPhone or an Android device (or any one of a range of other smart-phones) you can download a software version of the authenticator for free.
I've run into a lot of people who say it is, yet want to pay for the device. I'm looking at that conflict I perceive there, ie "if it's really necessary, then it aught to be included already"
ReplyDeleteAnd if it isn't necessary, these people who are going around telling everyone to get one should lay off on the peer pressure they apply to others. Yes, when people post "Get one!" I count that to be peer pressure.
The whole point of an authenticator is so you don't get hacked. the whole point of a password is so you don't get hacked. difference between a password and an authenticator is that a password DOES get hacked -- go figure. so, when one fails to do its function, isn't it natural to replace it with something that does? it seems rather necessary to me.
ReplyDeleteIt's not being replaced. If they sent an authenticator out in the game box at no more charge than before, I'd agree it's being replaced. Or if they sent them out to people who had subscribed for X months at no further charge, I'd agree it's being replaced. It obviously isn't.
ReplyDeleteIt's scary how your describing it as if they are improving the product, as you reach into your pocket, pull out money and hand it to them. How much more money would you hand over, while just acting as if blizzard are just upgrading parts of their game for free/no further charge?