Xbox One Update: Acting Like a Jerk Will Get You In Trouble

Think you can act like a jerk online and get away with on? Microsoft says no. Xbox Live will begin sending out reputation alerts to players who continuously exhibit poor gaming etiquette, according to a blog post Wednesday by Xbox Live Program Manager Michael Dunn. The Xbox One rep system is redesigned from the Xbox 360's rep program to help users avoid those who may not play nice.

Players can possess a good reputation, a reputation that needs work, or a reputation that warns other players to avoid them. “By looking at someone’s Gamercard you’re able to quickly see their reputation. The more hours you play fairly online without being reported as abusive by other players, the better your reputation will be,” explained Dunn. “The algorithm looks to identify players that are repeatedly disruptive across the community on Xbox Live. The vast majority of players do not regularly receive feedback from other players and, thus, will stay at the ‘Good Player’ reputation level.”

Last summer, Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) Xbox Live announced this community-powered reputation model for the next-gen Xbox One. This new technology helps players avoid “trouble-makers” and gamers you may not want to play with.

“No question that Xbox Live is a distinct community of passionate gamers. We love that. But just like in life, there are all types of people – some shy, some polite, some aggressive, some snarky, some annoying and some that can’t avoid swearing at #$%^ happens to them,” Dunn said on the Xbox blog last July. “Most Xbox Live players are polite online and know how to socially adjust to people they’re playing with. But not everyone does this. And, it can be challenging to pick up on social cues when you are connected online and not face-to-face in the same room.”

Dunn explained the new reputation model would allow players to block or mute bothersome players. “With the new community-powered reputation model for Xbox One, we want to help you avoid the players you don’t want to play with. If you don’t want to play with cheats or jerks, you shouldn’t have to. Our new reputation model helps expose people that aren’t fun to be around and creates real consequences for trouble-makers that harass our good players.”

The Xbox Reputation Model will score players on this scale:

[Via the Xbox Blog]:

“Good Players” – The majority of gamers will fall into this level. As we’ve said before, we have plans to introduce rewards for good behavior and look forward to sharing more in the future!

Warnings for “Needs Work” – Beginning this month, some players will start receiving reputation warnings as their reputations drop due to feedback from the community. The purpose of these communications is to remind players about their effect on the community and encourage them to have more positive interactions. These warnings are based on community feedback collected since Xbox One launched.

Penalties for “Avoid Me” – If players do not heed warnings and continue to have a negative impact on other players and the Xbox Live community, they will begin to experience penalties. For example, people with an “Avoid Me” rating will have reduced matchmaking pairings and may be unable to use certain privileges such as Twitch broadcasting.

Dunn reminded players that a couple bad reports over a few weeks’ time won’t penalize players who generally exhibit good behavior. So, if you get a little riled up over some “Titanfall,” no one will hold it against you.

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