The often forgotten but all important

Just wanted to throw out a quick post to remind new game devs of a little revelation I've come to. When you finish your game, and your making your company name and your twitter, make sure to use a new username. Especially if you've been on the internet a long time, everything you've been doing will be held under your current username, and people can find a lot from what they can find from that. Just wanted to throw out that quick warning.

 

It's obviously always good to keep in mind that you do build a reputation online (good or bad is up to you). I actually like using the same name on as many sites as I can but to each his own. It's always good to be reminded.

One thing I wish I could have done at least with unity is switch to a different e-mail address for the unity account (to the business email address). I created a personal account with unity before I incorporated and wish that I could switch that registration to my business one (basically because I had already purchased many assets on the store not so much the forums or anything to do with reputation).

 

I do the opposite. I use a different nick everywhere. I even have many github/googlecode accounts to use different ones for different kind of projects.
So even if I post links to my own open source projects, you still cannot find my projects in other fields of expertise.

I prefer anonymity, and this helps ensuring it. Otherwise if you blow your cover once and all your accounts are connected somehow, it is blown everywhere.
If you simply combine all info I posted in this forum alone, I could probably be one of around 3000 people on this planet, and one of 10-50 if you combine very smartly. If I did not do that stuff, any nutjob could reduce that to one single person. I actually sometimes edit posts after posting if I realize this gives away too much detail.

Let's assume somebody here in the forums feels annoyed by you, and that somebody (proud gun owner) believes 8% of humans are demons blood related to Satan and it is OK to quarantine those or worse, do you really want to leave them a chance to find out who you are and where you live?

 

I switched the email address on my unity account just the other day, so this is definitely possible. Just go to accounts.unity3d.com, log in, and click on "Edit".

 

Ideally some people would already know who you are before your game is released. Your marketing campaign and public image should start early. I dont see why your spreading this as a warning?

 

Does this actually change your full Unity account? I'm primarily interested in the assets I've purchased from the store. If I click edit account under the store I'm not give the same option. Did it change your account everywhere when you did it on the forums (asset store, unity login, etc.)?

 

I gave it a go today and it does look like the last unity website update does allow you to do this now (it didn't before). Thanks for the tip Steego, I hadn't checked it in awhile. Asset store purchases and everything else seems to be associated under my company email address no problem now.

 

Why isnt this a warning? What, is it a PSA? No, I dont think so.

 

nah I just go around being a jerk dev then whining when I get random 1-star reviews..

lol

 

Yeh I decided not to do this actually. I just cant be bothered, besides, if I cover my tracks and get caught, everything will look a whole lot worse

 

This is really only relevant if you have something to hide. If you are building erotica games it's something you might not want to show up when your mum checks your Facebook page. Otherwise there is little real point.

Security on the internet is very much a flocking thing. There is enough information to track any of a thousand users back to their homes from this site alone. Millions once you open up to the internet as a whole. The chances of any psychopath choosing any one individual are slim to none. Your odds are probably better at being shot on the street by a random stranger.

And forget crossing the road.

 

I've been on the internet a long time, as with many of you, and we've all said embarrassing things or whatnot, I was just scared at the time of those coming back to haunt me. But now, Ive just come to realise that the worse that could happen is someone finds a picture of me looking like an idiot when I was 8, I laugh about it, and the problem is gone

 

Reminds of this quote from a Cliff Bleszinski interview:

And yeah... he's right. We all have. We must accept it. It's just the way it is.

 

It's always best to just be straightforward and open about who you are and what you do. No one on the Internet really ever digs up things from your past to use against you anyway.

haha yeah right.

 

That is a fantastic quote
I was thinking as well, I'd be a shame to lose ostrich160. Its been with me so long, its how a lot of people know me.

 

Lol still the way I see it is let "them" dig. My view is who are "they" to judge me anyway? Besides when I see people throwing up stuff people have posted in an attempt to slander someone I generally just think "yep... another person with too much time on their hands". Everyone is human. As such people say things now they may change their minds on later today. Life is a learning process. We all go through it. Seeing people's beliefs change over time as they receive and process new information is normal. Going around digging up stuff from the past says a lot more about the person doing the digging and reposting than the person who originally posted.

 

But I don't want to hide my past. I'm an ass sometimes, people can deal with it. I'm not a fake persona. I've got nothing to hide except my adoration for fluffy cats.

 

Well thats the realisation I came to. I shouldnt have to hide who I am, and I dont want to. Frankly, the worst that can happen is someone takes the piss out of me and I laugh along.

 

If you mean that the person doing the digging is the class A jerk then we're in full agreement.

 

Well, it's normal for someone to dig into your past. It's the internet.

Chances are even if you change your account name or whatever, someone will know

 

Well yes of course people dig into your past on the Internet. I was referring to people who dig into your past to use it against you. That's a whole other ball of carburetors.

 

Yep. The motive is the important thing. If Ony posted something last month or even last week and then I dug that up to try to say "what a bad bad person"... it tells a lot more about me and my current motives than it does about Ony. The original post was likely made based on a belief or feeling at that time which may or may not be the way Ony currently views it. I, on the other hand, having just dug it up and reposted made it clear what my current belief and motivations are.

 

If Phil Fish can be a wildly successful developer, I can't help but feel that there's little significance in going through that kind of trouble to hide your jackassery.

The worst I've heard of is when some guy got his game pulled from Steam after threatening to murder the CEO.
So, just... show some restraint.

 

I don't think it needs spelling out. If you act like a complete asshole, then obviously, you'll get a punch in the face.

 

I live in fear of my past every day...

 

I know what you mean but then that is what real karma is all about, facing our demons.