Behind the Scarlet 'C': Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

re: Behind the Scarlet "C": Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

xrayzwei — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:27:54 GMT

Star Chamber, exactly. There are a number of things regarding XBL in particular that are kept unnecessarily behind the curtain. Backwards compatibility updates, no achievements in Xbox Originals, release dates for Arcade games, spring/fall updates and now this. For the service being so well liked, you would think they would open up about more and more. This isn't like the Coca-Cola or KFC recipe.

re: Behind the Scarlet "C": Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

TheEggplant — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:40:51 GMT

So if they can do something this elaborate. Why can't they give people back their XBLA games when they have to have their console repaired?=

re: Behind the Scarlet "C": Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

Billkwando — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:43:04 GMT

I love how he completely ignored the question about roster updates and essentially said the same thing twice, while acting like he was addressing the question.

re: Behind the Scarlet "C": Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

HeartbreakRidge — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:07:03 GMT

This is the problem that I have always had with how Microsoft has handed complaints and the whole "disciplinary" process. I come from a background in criminal justice, and one bedrock concept that applies here is that it is as important to *do* justice as it is to be *seen* doing justice.

Microsoft's response to this and related issues more or less boils down to "trust us." I'm sorry, but that does not exactly cut it. I appreciate that this is a difficult and sensitive process, but at this point I am not completely confident that MS is taking action when it is appropriate. Not only do we not know when someone will get a wrist slap or worse for online behavor/TOS violations or whatever, we nearly always will have no idea when something does happen. If I don't have confidence that filing complaints will result in action, or if cheaters will be punished, then I'm less likely to bother reporting people in the first place (even just those who richly deserve it.)

I *hope* MS is doing the right thing, but I'm not sure I would bet on it. Frankly, I wish they'd figure our a more robust system for dealing with the racist and obnoxious people on XBL I have encountered when I venture out from my adult gaming community into the general public. Not to say that the numbers are huge, but it only takes one in a large pool to taint a whole game, and then I never know what (if anything) happens to the twerp(s).

re: Behind the Scarlet "C": Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

latinogamer — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:22:33 GMT

If they only shamed racists, screaming bastards, annoying immature kids, and anyone who I do not like on xbox live, the same way, all will be good again. Till then, my console woes will be exclusive to the PS3.

re: Behind the Scarlet 'C': Xbox Live General Manager Marc Whitten Further Explains His New Approach to Punishing Achievement Point Cheaters

Toasty — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:33:55 GMT

When I read "scarlet C" in the headline I though it was a play on the RROD (3/4 of a ring)...