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Xbox Live Cheaters Get Their Scores Wiped Out

Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com Wed Mar 26, 4:34 PM ET

Microsoft is cracking down on Xbox Live cheaters. Redmond introduced anti-Gamescore cheating tools and procedures on Xbox Live on Wednesday. If caught, cheaters will see their Gamescore reset to zero and get a message explaining that they got their hand caught in the hacker jar. ADVERTISEMENT

"Today we took action on some of the accounts we have identified as the most serious offenders who have violated the Xbox Live Terms of Use by tampering with their Gamescore and Achievements," Microsoft Xbox Live administrator Major Nelson wrote on his blog.

Specifically, Microsoft reset the entire Gamescore for cheater accounts to zero. Those cheaters will be unable to regain their previously obtained Achievements and Gamescore, but can keep future achievements by earning them fairly. Finally, the account will be clearly labeled as a cheater for the community to view on xbox.com and on the personal view of the gamecard in the dash.

Xbox Live Community Reacts

Nelson warned Xbox Live users not to cheat in October. His latest blog post on the topic had nearly 250 comments by noon Eastern time on Wednesday. Most of the commenters welcomed the action, but some criticized Microsoft.

"CheaterMcCheat from Cheatville who's a dirty cheater? What's wrong with just the official 'find out more' subtitle? Wow, Microsoft has released a new low of immaturity," wrote a commenter called netgem21. The commenter was referring to the example page Microsoft offered to demonstrate the new tools and the "cheater branding."

An anonymous commenter wrote, "Why does everyone care so much about people boosting their gamescores? It doesn't hurt anyone or affect anything. This is really petty, poor show."

Mike Goodman, an analyst at Yankee Group, answered the question: "In general, gamers don't like gamers who cheat. Furthermore, besides the integrity of the game, it disrupts the rankings. The rankings were designed so that you could find comparable players."

Making Xbox Live Players Honest

One of the most popular aspects of the Xbox Live community is the concept of achieving a Gamescore, Goodman said. Gamescores represent your accomplishments as a player in the community, he said, so hacking and bloating the scores compromises the integrity of the community.

"I have a certain score that I have achieved through my game play and it is representative of what I've done. Those achievements, to a certain extent, are something to brag about," Goodman said. "So if you've been cheating and your score is reset to zero, then tough noogies. Don't cheat next time."

Goodman's bottom line is the same take many others in the Xbox Live community have: If you want a high score, earn it.

"For 99.99 percent of the Xbox Live population out there, their scores are earned," Goodman said. "For the very small minority of people who are cheating, if you cheat and get caught, you will be punished. The bottom line is there is no shortcut in life."