Unique Display Names

[MaxMikester]

Can Steam just make it so that display names are UNIQUE, like on Xbox Live or something? I love playing my steam games, but when i play online, all i see are people impersonating famous youtubers (for example Vanoss) and causing a scene. People keep getting tricked and its irritating me as to why display names are not unique? People are not gonna stop impersonating until unique display names are in effect.

[MalikQayum]

so with 75 million accounts on steam wouldnt it suck that u can name yourself anthony or tom ? because someone that hasnt used his steam account since he created it is using one of those names?

also if u want a unique indentifier like that u got the steam custom url :
steamcommunity.com/id/<custom id> which is waht u want i assume.

[MaxMikester]

I'm just tired of people impersonating famous people on youtube and such. Because of this it is impossible to find the real "famous person". Like, there are over 100 people with the exact name "Vanoss" in a search for example. How would i know if its the real Vanoss?

[Fox]

Originally posted by MaxMikester:

I'm just tired of people impersonating famous people on youtube and such. Because of this it is impossible to find the real "famous person". Like, there are over 100 people with the exact name "Vanoss" in a search for example. How would i know if its the real Vanoss?

Protip : AFAIK, famous youtubers won't name themselves on Steam like their Youtube nick.

Back to the main suggestion :

Originally posted by MaxMikester:

Can Steam just make it so that display names are UNIQUE, like on Xbox Live or something? I love playing my steam games, but when i play online, all i see are people impersonating famous youtubers (for example Vanoss) and causing a scene. People keep getting tricked and its irritating me as to why display names are not unique? People are not gonna stop impersonating until unique display names are in effect.

To be honest, it'd be a pain for me : I'm sure my nick, thanks to my creativity pushing up daisies, has already been taken, forcing me to choose another one.
Not only would it be uncomfortable for me, but other people might not recognize me. Sure, my avatar is uncommon, but what about other profiles with more common ones ?

And what if it was your favorite youtuber who'd have to change nick because an impersonator took it already ? Now the lucky impersonator can claim he's the real deal without being "challenged", in lieu and place of the Youtuber, rendering this suggestion worse-than-useless.

So, it may be selfish, but I'd disagree. Even with the same nick, your profile and profile URL is still unique.

[:ekoe]

Absolutely not.
This is one of the things I think valve is doing right compared to the rest of the modern internet that's so obsessed with identity.

Originally posted by FS Archduke:

Not sure what's irritating about someone on a game with a name the same as some (allegedly 'famous') personality from a video-sharing site) or how this involves making a "scene" - perhaps its more your sensibilities that are the issue here.

Not only this, but those people have a right to take those usernames. Registering a youtube account name doesn't give someone a trademark on it.

So this wouldn't end impersonation at all, in fact all it would do is those people that you think should own those usernames would be locked out of their username, because the impersonators would simply register them on the first day 'unique names' goes into effect.


and also, some people have 10yr old accounts, do you think most 20-25yr old gamers would be happy with the usernames they picked when they were 10-15?
Some of them are already upset about the account name they have to type to login which isn't even as big of a deal as the username.
It wouldn't be any different comparing now to another 10 years down the road.

[Black Blade]

If a youtuber wanted to let you find him... you will see there profile link in there channel or something... and if you look you will find that most do not have.. they do not want to be found... and if you really do game with the YouTuber... well search for a video with you?
Or even ask them to tell you or something abut it... just don't bug them....