Cy-Kill Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Not impressed by MS now: A newly disclosed Microsoft patent application ? Avatar Individualized by Physical Characteristic ? takes aim at fat people, proposing to generate fat avatars in gaming environments for individuals whose health records indicate they're overweight, limiting their game play, and even banning them. From the patent application: 'An undesirable body weight could be reflected in an overweight or underweight appearance for the avatar. Only requisite health levels are allowed to compete in a certain competition level. A dedicated gamer could exercise for a period of time until his health indicator gadget shows a sufficiently high health/health credit in order to allow reentering the avatar environment.' Linking one's gaming avatar to one's physique, explains Microsoft, will produce healthy and virtuous behaviors in individuals. Microsoft also proposes shaping gaming experiences by using 'psychological and demographic information such as education level, geographic location, age, sex, intelligence quotient, socioeconomic class, occupation, marital/relationship status, religious belief, political affiliation, etc.' http://games.slashdot.org/story/09/12/18/1...ming-Fat-Gamers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billus Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Lol. If this is true it could have its advantages such as making obese people lose weight. The numerous advantages of one losing weight is allowing more seat availability on public transport, improve health issues and basically just to get out there and have a life other than gaming, eating and sitting down. Sorry, but you have to be cruel to be kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhangm Supervisor Posted December 20, 2009 Supervisor Share Posted December 20, 2009 Haha. This doesn't seem like a huge deal. If a certain demographic feels too insulted or embarrassed, then they can vote with their wallets and not purchase games that use this system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Hammond Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Why should Microsoft have access to my medical history, if i want to get fat and die at an early age while playing on my xbox and paying microsoft money i should be able to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhangm Supervisor Posted December 20, 2009 Supervisor Share Posted December 20, 2009 Why should Microsoft have access to my medical history, if i want to get fat and die at an early age while playing on my xbox and paying microsoft money i should be able to. You are under no obligation to continue to pay Microsoft for a service that you don't want. Conversely, Microsoft is under no obligation to make games that you enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nagisan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Lol. If this is true it could have its advantages such as making obese people lose weight. The numerous advantages of one losing weight is allowing more seat availability on public transport, improve health issues and basically just to get out there and have a life other than gaming, eating and sitting down. Sorry, but you have to be cruel to be kind. What about the people who have hereditary diseases and cannot lose weight? They are just SOL then right? How is that right? And IMO MS has no right to any medical files, they are not an insurance company or hospital, they are a software company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frogger Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 You say that like they are forcing you to oblige. You could opt to not buy their console/games and voila, you can keep your medical records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Antonius Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Well if they get it, chances are they will not be aloud to use any features of it here in the UK, since it may soon become illegal to discriminate against overweight people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nagisan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 You say that like they are forcing you to oblige. You could opt to not buy their console/games and voila, you can keep your medical records. I already avoid Microsofts consoles, but this goes beyond that. A non-medical company, or at least a company that offers services which have nothing to do with medical, should not be given access to medical records for any reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhangm Supervisor Posted December 20, 2009 Supervisor Share Posted December 20, 2009 I already avoid Microsofts consoles, but this goes beyond that. A non-medical company, or at least a company that offers services which have nothing to do with medical, should not be given access to medical records for any reason. Unless the records are released by their owner. This has already been pointed out. You say that like they are forcing you to oblige. You could opt to not buy their console/games and voila, you can keep your medical records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Hammond Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 You are under no obligation to continue to pay Microsoft for a service that you don't want. Conversely, Microsoft is under no obligation to make games that you enjoy. I know this but the Xbox is a gaming console, and Microsoft shouldnt be able to have access to my medical records full stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 And you honestly think this will have Microsoft come round your house, just to weigh and measure you? This is obviously Microsoft's version of Wii fit, let the user type in his medical data ( Weight, height etc. ) and help them by losing weight in some form or another by disallowing them use of the 360 for a period of time, perhaps it's to be combined with the Natal, you have to physically work out in front of the Natal to gain access? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhangm Supervisor Posted December 20, 2009 Supervisor Share Posted December 20, 2009 I know this but the Xbox is a gaming console, and Microsoft shouldnt be able to have access to my medical records full stop. It is absurd for you to dictate who can and cannot access a person's medical records with their consent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Hammond Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Its absurd that a gaming console should prevent me from playing games just because im not in peak physical condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 How about you people actually read the patent and come to some more realistic conclusions than some Nazi society where you are forced to enter medical data into your console or you need to hand over medical records to buy one? I mean, talk about a storm in a glass of water :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdood Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 This is the greatest invention ever. All you haters are just fat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodrigo Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 This is the greatest invention ever. All you haters are just fat. lol And to the comment of genetic obesity: I have yet to see one person with a genetic disease that makes him/her MORBIDLY obese. It's just not like that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunamonkey Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 "a certain competition level." As in maybe you can't play at a harder level until you complete the easy level. Maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nagisan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 lolAnd to the comment of genetic obesity: I have yet to see one person with a genetic disease that makes him/her MORBIDLY obese. It's just not like that. I have not read the patent itself but does this only apply to morbid obesity? Either way its still not right, MS basically demanding access to medical records before allowing you to play a video game. Video games are serious business apparently. Again, I have not read the patent so I may be wrong, but I just do not see this being a good idea."a certain competition level."As in maybe you can't play at a harder level until you complete the easy level. Maybe? Thats a possibility and no one will know unless this whole thing comes true, but it still doesn't make it right IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vice Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Hilarious. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sethos Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 (edited) MS basically demanding access to medical records before allowing you to play a video game. Video games are serious business apparently. Again, I have not read the patent so I may be wrong, but I just do not see this being a good idea. Where does it say that? It states how it can be gathered and what the information can be used for; nowhere does it state whether it's mandatory or the circumstances. Imagine this: An optional scenario for your user base to help them lose weight, like say, uhm, a feature? You honestly think Microsoft would demand medical records out of people perhaps even acquire them on their own accord, yeah, that definitely would make sense from a business point of view :rolleyes: As I posted before; imagine the data being applied to your avatar based on medical records, medical data acquired electronically etc. and then you could work out in front of the Natal which, coincidentally is being released in a near future and then unlock game access and do basically an "Xbox Fit", all this naturally being an OPTIONAL feature. Of course not, choose the doom and gloom scenario that makes no sense from a business or ethical point of view, TO ARMS MY BROTHERS! Edited December 20, 2009 by Sethos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Lyle Global Moderator Posted December 20, 2009 Global Moderator Share Posted December 20, 2009 I think this is a tad exaggerated, I would never think Microsoft would do something so stupid, but maybe implement warnings based on your body weight and strength to caution you before you're about to do 50 pushups... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nagisan Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Where does it say that? As I said, I have not read the patent, I simply read the article which stated: for individuals whose health records indicate they're overweight So they are getting access to your medical records somehow to manage that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liana Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 And you honestly think this will have Microsoft come round your house, just to weigh and measure you?This is obviously Microsoft's version of Wii fit, let the user type in his medical data ( Weight, height etc. ) and help them by losing weight in some form or another by disallowing them use of the 360 for a period of time, perhaps it's to be combined with the Natal, you have to physically work out in front of the Natal to gain access? I think this is Microsoft's version of something like Wii fit too. Why would they want to discriminate against overweight players? That's not profitable. What they would want to do is keep out-of-shape people from over-exerting themselves on a dance mat or something in an online competition so that Microsoft doesn't get sued. Now that makes far more sense to me, anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devHead Posted December 20, 2009 Share Posted December 20, 2009 Why should Microsoft have access to my medical history, if i want to get fat and die at an early age while playing on my xbox and paying microsoft money i should be able to. I don't know Richard; you seem so angry and bitter and upset in all you're posts. I mean, of course you can do what you want when you want, blah blah blah. But that kind of anger probably will mean dying at an early age. But I guess you said you want that, so... As far as this new patent, I think it's a way for a gaming company to take a little responsibility for creating games that keep people sitting in chairs for hours on end with no real physical activity. Everyone knows that's not good for your health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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