Microsoft wants you to do exercise...by guilt

[Isildur´s Heir]

Microsoft's filed a patent that would make avatars more realistic and less idealized, with the point of getting your husky ass out to exercise if what you're seeing in the dashboard is a more realistic presentation of yourself.

"Avatar Individualized By Physical Characteristic," is what Microsoft is claiming. "Linking the avatar to a physical characteristic of a user provides leverage to provide incentives or constraints that can encourage good behavior (e.g., healthy behaviors, virtuous behaviors, etc.)," says the patent.

So therefore, if you're fat, your avatar will be fat - or vice versa. And so Microsoft proposes that your avatar's conditioning would be reflected in its capabilities within a game, or unlocking a budgeted amount of time to play, or just making the little guy look all buff and hawt.

How is it going to know what the real you looks like? The patent offers that Microsoft would get the info through a "third-party health data collection repository," I guess to which the player belongs and links to his or her Xbox Live account. Or, says the filing "a real-time physiological sensor (e.g., blood pressure, heart rate, blood glucose, peak flow, pedometer, etc.)" Yay! Sounds like more peripherals.

I really hope that the gamer have the option to turn it off, if not, the fat guys that want to look slimmer are fu**ed, and that´s just stupid.
Some years ago i thought about, what if when we play, the character has the same limitations as we have, and this was before the all motion control thing.
Two second later i came to conclusion that it would be stupid, because any overweight guy playing, the character wouldn´t be able run of jump or whatever.
Well, guess that Microsoft thinks that it´s a great idea....

The only thing that makes me wonder is, what if Natal, just by scanning you, can get the info needed.
That would make it the best thing ever.
But, then again, i know that i´m just daydreaming.

 

[Addendum]

Meh. My avatar is still a silhouette because I haven't bothered to create one, and Natal doesn't interest me.

 

[Sloth7d]

So now the tools meant to allow escapism are reflecting the aspects of reality we wish to forget in a harsh way?

 

[TheBlueRogue]

WOW...is this some kind of sick joke because if it isn't.....that's just effing stupid.

 

[GL1]

Does this sound the least bit realistic, authentic or credible to anyone else? Cuz I don't buy it. "third-party health data collection repository," lol. This is not the kind of stupid that people are.

 

[Brainiac 8]

HAHAHA, if they had the gall to do this, I would laugh so hurtingly hard.

"Sorry, you can't fight the final boss of this game, because he won't allow himself to be beaten by a fatty."

 

[Addendum]

New feature in character creation for sports games

 

[TheBat812]

this is straight up dumb. and hilarious.

 

[Grommers]

I personally love this idea, the only people I can see complaining are the fat people, which I think could stand to lose the weight, and what better way to encourage them then to have it done in a video game. Brilliant to me...

The only side effect to me is the fat people getting beaten by jocks at video games, then there is nothing that the fat people are better at. .

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I'm fat, and my avvy is fat.

So...this seems stupid to me. If Microsoft wants me to be healthier, they'll need to add more to the mix than just my stupid avvy looking 'fatter'.

This has gotta be something they'll be doing with Natal, I'm assuming. Otherwise, it'll be an empty attempt.

This is probably a cover for the true purpose. To catch the guys pretending to be girls.