1984 Gaming

Chinese have recently passed a law that requires online gamers to register their real names before playing online games.  The idea is to track and monitor online overuse.  Reading many comments on the subject, there seems to be a superiority complex Americans have, where that's just one more communist activity those poor saps have to deal with...no freedom for them.


But the sick twisted reality is, we have that already here in the United States!  Only instead of the government, its corporations...which is Worse!  Good example:  I bought GTA4...  I had to register at...

• Windows Live
• Steam
• Rockstar Games Social Club

Want to play Mass Effect?  Gotta register with

• Bioware
• EA

...and these are just stand alone solo games!

The justifications are extremely vague why I have to setup accounts for each.  The reason is obvious though...data collection.  It really is what drive the market these days.  Make no mistake, once a company has your info, the government can legally require them to release info they have collected.

So, in the United States, not only does the government have access to how much your online and the games you play, so do the companies you just paid to play.  Land of the Free indeed.