[Yhor]

I canceled my account and then tried to post in the Blizzard forums thread. Apparently I can't post there now, but I can post in the realm forums. I'm wondering if this is a bug, or if the new forums want to silence what people have to say. I won't reactivate my account to post this, and if anyone thinks it relevant or useful, please copy paste, if you like.

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Sad day, imo. Not that Blizzard implemented these rules, but that they think they had to. I think their free of charge policy is going too far, but on the same side of the coin, in game solicitation (that others can see) is also going too far (I'm not familiar with the offenders, and I won't pretend to be).

Now, to say they have the "right" to not allow money to be paid for programmer's work (that doesn't violate the general ToS / EULA), is out of the scope of what WoW (or MMOs in general) really are. When people have issues/problems, and they go to an ADDON or these forums or a friend they think will know the answer... who answers back 9 out of 10 times? It's not Blizzard, it IS the COMMUNITY.

Community effort is what keeps Blizzard in business; without it (and the ability to keep it), Blizzard would go out of business. There are some addons that, if removed (or a specific function of that said addon), I'd not play this game. Blizzard fails to deliver in the area of 'real' customer service; addons (and the advice of their authors) sometimes fill the needs of giving the player what they want in order to keep them playing the game. If this advice or help comes at a price, the person needing help has options.

These options include waiting for Blizzard help, getting help from someone who may or may not be as knowledgeable as Blizzard or 'paid' author, getting an addon that fixes the problem, ignore the problem, or just quit playing. When you start taking options away, you lose customers, you lose interest, and you lose freedom. If I'm attempted to be forced into to anything, I fight it, that is my nature. I think for myself and depend on myself for my right to be who I am. Sure, this is just a game, but it's a real community and I feel it necessary (as do others) to voice my opinion of what is right in a "free" society. If it must come to taking away my options, and members of this community away, then I'll go away with it (as will others who have PRINCIPLES).

I donated money to charities, institutions, and even addon authors. I continue to support those who make no demands of it, but to those that try to enforce my continued support, I end my relationship with them. Ask St. Jude's children hospital, I donated to them for ~ 1 year, every quarter. When they started mass mailing and strongarming me into support, I ended our relationship. Same for the addon authors who took this same approach with in game chat screens filled with their sob story or constant update info (as useful as they were), ended. I don't need the Government, or Blizzard to end my relationship for my own safety, I'm capable of that myself.

So, I'd suggest that Blizzard rethink and / or reword their new terms in regards to addons. It could be more damaging to them than they realize. Or maybe I'm wrong and the players of WoW are just mindless sheep that follow the herd.

It's about the principle.

~Yhor