I Have a Hard Time Believing Microsoft Hates Fat People

Posted By elissa on Jan 5, 2010 | 1 comment

I glanced at this blog post on Shakesville today about the XBox 360, and then did a double take…  Apparently Microsoft recently filed for a patent app, “…to introduce a heightened degree of reality into the appearance of gamers’ avatars by utilizing a third-party health-care data repository… or a Wii Vitality Sensor-like device.”

In other words, Microsoft wants to create gamers’ avatars capable of collecting/storing user health info.  Why?

Evidently this is (partly) why:

To incentivize people to improve their physical well-being, Microsoft’s filing notes that gamers will be locked out of certain components of a game or a chat room until the proper health parameters are met.

“Physical data that reflects a degree of health of the real person can be linked to rewards of capabilities of a gaming avatar, an amount of time budgeted to play, or a visible indication,” the filing reads. “Thereby, people are encouraged to exercise.”

To the Shakesville blogger and commenter, this is yet another example of “fat hatred.”

But is it really?  Does Microsoft really intend to restrict gamers deemed unhealthy or overweight from playing XBox games?

I checked out the original article on GameSpot… there’s quite an uproar in the comments.  But I have a sneaking suspicion that commenter “DitkaKenobi” is on to something:

This is for a fitness game people. Obviously they are not going to lock you out of stuff on your Xbox 360 because you’re fat.

“For example, a locally executed VIDEO GAME on a game console or other device capable of interactive play rewards players that have achieved a degree of health or athletic skill in real life, even if played in a solitary fashion. Alternatively or in addition, the degree of health can unlock additional playing time or can UNLOCK CERTAIN ASPECTS OF A GAME, such as additional levels.”

Clearly, it’s going to be for a “Wii Fit” type of game that will most likely be used with Natal.

Obviously, I have no idea of what’s cookin’ over in Redmond.  Hell, the technology described in the patent app may never even see the light of day.  But I seriously doubt Microsoft would risk alienating a significant percentage of its customer base by “incentivizing” exercise across the board in XBox 360 games.  If they plan to use this at all, it only makes sense within the context of weight loss/fitness-oriented applications.