Microsoft Seeks Patent On Shaming Fat Gamers

[wraggster]

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/09/1...ing-Fat-Gamers

[XDelusion]

I wish the natives could have fought harder to defend their land. Had they known of the technological slavery that hovered just over the horizon...

...anyhow, the world's turning to crap. Everyone needs to be a useful, healthy, productive slave or your are of no use. You won't get help, you won't be treated friendly or fairly, unless you support the regime, unless you support this suffocating system and submit to your own de-humanization.

You no longer have the right to do what you want with your own body (I'm not talking free sex and abortion here), you no longer own the rights to your mind, or can do what you want with your own free will, even if it hurts no one else. Cameras are on our backs at all times, and now we are entering the age where your health will be monitored through video games, and your insurance rates will go up, you won't be able to get a job because your health is too high a risk, and...

...like Big Mother, M$ won't let you play in all the riendeer games.

[symbal]

Well fat people don't stand a chance with this do they? You get fat if you game too much and virtually fat if you don't game enough, oh i'm gonna eat a cheeseburger and forget i ever read this.

[pkmaximum]

Wow umm.... this just seems really odd in my opinion. I'm not quite sure what Microsoft is trying to achieve even though they explained themselves O_-