The online game is full of aliases. If you join a website to play Diplomacy then you're asked to provide a username. There's nothing wrong with that although it does, perhaps, take away something from the community of the Dip hobby.
As in most things, there's a history of this in postal Diplomacy and this is usually seen as a way to be anonymous.
With online play, however, it may be possible to change your username. This might be simply because you realised the name you chose was not a good choice. For instance, a number of players may use a version of their email address which may not be the best idea. If you come across someone who is an idiot who thinks it's acceptable to harass players off-site then using your email address could be a mistake.
Sometimes it's realising that the name you chose really does you no favours. I come across this every day at work. I deal with younger people who don't necessarily think much about what they should put in an email address. One address that sticks in my head started with 'fannylane'. It doesn't really matter whether you're British or American, calling yourself 'fanny' isn't a fantastic idea. (In this case, there was a reason: Fanny Lane was his address... although an unfortunate one.)
Online, occasionally, you come across usernames which show a similar mentality. The name is meant as a joke, usually, but the player realises that, actually, it wasn't the greatest idea. More embarrassing than funny.
Sometimes, though, players simply want to change their usernames as a form of anonymity. To some extent, this is the reasoning behind usernames. It allows you to play online without giving out personal details. Nothing wrong with this, especially as there are a number of people who will use those details for criminal reasons.
However, they want to change the name regularly. This may be because they've earned some success and are therefore being targeted. It may be that they're a prominent member of the community and they're experiencing some targeting.
It may be that they've played badly using one name. They might have been a quitter, one of those people who leave a game at the first sign of a problem. No resilience. But they then realise that they're doing themselves no good by acting like this and they resolve to change. Part of that change might be that they want to change their name.
The question of anonymity is that it can simply cause confusion. Many sites offer players the option to play anonymously. You can hide your identity while the games running. Excellent. Don't need to change your username then.
Some people think that a player shouldn't be able to hide from their past mistakes. And, often, while you can change your username, your record goes with you. This means that, no matter how many times you change your name, you can't escape your record.
On the other hand, how many times do people research the players they're up against? Changing your username might be enough to hide your infamy.
Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with being able to change your username, providing that it isn't allowed when you're playing a game (which would be overly confusing for players in the game) and that you're not allowed to change your name too many times. There are genuine reasons why a player may want to change their name. Rarely do these reasons need regular changes.
As in most things, there's a history of this in postal Diplomacy and this is usually seen as a way to be anonymous.
With online play, however, it may be possible to change your username. This might be simply because you realised the name you chose was not a good choice. For instance, a number of players may use a version of their email address which may not be the best idea. If you come across someone who is an idiot who thinks it's acceptable to harass players off-site then using your email address could be a mistake.
Sometimes it's realising that the name you chose really does you no favours. I come across this every day at work. I deal with younger people who don't necessarily think much about what they should put in an email address. One address that sticks in my head started with 'fannylane'. It doesn't really matter whether you're British or American, calling yourself 'fanny' isn't a fantastic idea. (In this case, there was a reason: Fanny Lane was his address... although an unfortunate one.)
Online, occasionally, you come across usernames which show a similar mentality. The name is meant as a joke, usually, but the player realises that, actually, it wasn't the greatest idea. More embarrassing than funny.
Sometimes, though, players simply want to change their usernames as a form of anonymity. To some extent, this is the reasoning behind usernames. It allows you to play online without giving out personal details. Nothing wrong with this, especially as there are a number of people who will use those details for criminal reasons.
However, they want to change the name regularly. This may be because they've earned some success and are therefore being targeted. It may be that they're a prominent member of the community and they're experiencing some targeting.
It may be that they've played badly using one name. They might have been a quitter, one of those people who leave a game at the first sign of a problem. No resilience. But they then realise that they're doing themselves no good by acting like this and they resolve to change. Part of that change might be that they want to change their name.
The question of anonymity is that it can simply cause confusion. Many sites offer players the option to play anonymously. You can hide your identity while the games running. Excellent. Don't need to change your username then.
Some people think that a player shouldn't be able to hide from their past mistakes. And, often, while you can change your username, your record goes with you. This means that, no matter how many times you change your name, you can't escape your record.
On the other hand, how many times do people research the players they're up against? Changing your username might be enough to hide your infamy.
Personally, I don't think there's anything wrong with being able to change your username, providing that it isn't allowed when you're playing a game (which would be overly confusing for players in the game) and that you're not allowed to change your name too many times. There are genuine reasons why a player may want to change their name. Rarely do these reasons need regular changes.
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