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Xbox Gamer Spotlight not so fantastic photo

You know that tab you flip by every week on your Xbox Dashboard? The one where they spotlight a different gamer once a week? You've seen it and possibly thought, "Hey, it would be kind of cool to be featured." Hold on there, hot shot. Not so fast. According to a few of the spotlighted gamers it is not cool, not cool at all. Recently our good friend Wombat from Cheap Ass Gamer was featured on the show and during a Podcast with Xboxist revealed that it was not very much fun to be featured.

He said that he started to receive some pretty terrible recorded audio and plenty of hate through written words. Wombat reported that a good chunk of those who sent him messages "berated him on his weight, ethnicity, and Spotlight worthiness -- some comments bordered on extremely offensive (homophobic and racial insults) and even threatening. Imagine one of those f*bomb filled multiplayer gaming sessions with 12 year old boys, but multiplied a thousand-fold with no mute button in sight." Ouch, bad news for those who are remotely well known, but it can't happen to everyone.

Slow down again. a member of CAG got in touch with five other "winners." One had had to change his Gamertag after he was in the spotlight and one, who was a female, had an even more unpleasant experience. "I did receive a lot of negative comments after my spotlight. A lot of them were because I am a girl. Also there were a lot of inappropriate sexual comments," she said, also noting that people took advantage of their Xbox LIVE Vision camera to send "naked crotch shots." Seriously, guys?

So if you're ever offered a chance to be spotlighted for the entire Xbox LIVE community to see, just remember what the Xbox LIVE community is actually like.








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Matthew Razak is Destructoid's Associate editor and co-founder of film site Flixist. He began as community member "cowzilla" and was since sequestered to write brainy features material. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife. Likes Games! Movies! Hats! Meet the rest of the team



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41 comments | showing # 1 to 41
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DaedHead8's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:02
DaedHead8
That's completely unsurprising.
Aaron Mxy Yost's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:05
Aaron Mxy Yost
Welcome to the Internet.
Neonie's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:10
Neonie
It is unsuprising but it's also really, -really- sad. I wonder how many of those "naked crotch shots" had any pubic hair.. probably not many..
MrSlippery's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:16
MrSlippery
I have no comment.


I'm too busy laughing my ass off. This is both hilarious and slightly embarassing.

...ok. Very embarassing.
TheDreadHawk's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:22
TheDreadHawk
Wooowwww.
TheBigFeel's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:28
TheBigFeel
The first time I notice the gamer spotlight was a cute girl, I couldn't help but think, "This cannot possibly end well."

It seems it's even worse than I thought
Pyroph's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:29
Pyroph
Ugh, disgusting. But as Daedhead said, I'm not surprised.
Drachula64's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:30
Drachula64
Those people probably don't use the internet much or else they'd be used to that sort of crap.
HadesGigas's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:31
HadesGigas
It's not like it's 5 people to report. It's hundreds, probably thousands.
Kif 's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:34
Kif
I'd have some sympathy if there wasn't a "File Report" button Live. Yeah it's time consuming at whatnot, but at least it's something.
Roryzilla's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:40
Roryzilla
HadesGigas is right, people get mauled by thousands of messages at a time probably.
So many crotches.
eskimo bob's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:42
eskimo bob
why am I still surprised every time I hear these things? I fucking hate the people on the internet.

...

...

...




HAHA DISREGARD THAT DTOID FTW. ^_^'
Cartman's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:44
Cartman
Yeah, I hate everyone on xbox live ( apart from the people I actually know, of course ).

You get shit like this. If you do good in an online match, you can expect a few messages filled with some pretty harsh stuff. I have no idea why everyone on there is so angry all the time.
burnblaze's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:47
burnblaze
"I have no idea why everyone on there is so angry all the time."

Because they forget at the end it's only a GAME.

They act like you kicked in their front door and fucked their sister or something.
wanderingpixel's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:50
wanderingpixel
The internet. Effects include: low IQ, lack of human decency, and a 99.9% chance that you will be hated.

I'm sending all of the winners a nice message right now.
DaShiz 21's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:51
DaShiz 21
You would figure if you actually called a M$ person on the number you use for repairs and request a manager then report the pictures being sent that you would get a fast and pleasing response. People get banned for 2 days for using harsh language on their own profile..wonder how long it would be if someone was reported for pornography..
HiddenAHB's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 13:56
HiddenAHB
I wouldn't mind being in the spotlight. But that's probably beacuse i'm a white straight male that doesn't care about naked crotch shots.
PanOpticon's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:05
PanOpticon
I remember hearing about this last week when I listened to the CAG podcast, I wonder how long it would take for the gamer blogging news cycle to pick it up.

Big props to E*Master for his bit of investigative reporting, contacting those other spotlight winners.

I wonder how or even if Microsoft is going to deal with this. They certainly can't change the community as it's already established itself as the 'bathroom wall' where people can leave their inhibitions at the login screen. My guess, goodbye Gamer Spotlight feature.
Elsa's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:05
Elsa
It's amazing how supposed anonymity brings out the asshat in people. I guess that the day is quickly coming where people won't be quite so anonymous on the internet... and may actually have to live with the spotlight on their behavior - in the real world.
Velt's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:32
Velt
"people took advantage of their Xbox LIVE Vision camera to send naked crotch shots."
Sorry, I know is wrong but I just found it very funny to imagine the girl turning on the xbox and funding a lot of crotches on the screen.
pedrovay2003's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:38
pedrovay2003
Wow... I knew the Xbox Live community was horrible, but I didn't know it was THAT bad.
Tarvu's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:40
Tarvu
Damn I hate people who send rude messages over Xbox live, though people who get featured for being in love with every bad decision Microsoft make deserve it as much as people who are the one on 1vs100.
Coldbrand's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:42
Coldbrand
Some people are like animals.
Shin Oni's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:46
Shin Oni
This read pretty much summed up the majority of America. Which is sadly on Xbox Live.
liam12360's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:47
liam12360
welcome to the interwebs.
ViciousBoston's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 14:57
ViciousBoston
And this is why I enjoy the Playstation Network lol.
Darren Nakamura's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 15:31
Darren Nakamura
I am not surprised. Good to know; though. Now I don't want to be spotlit ever.

@ViciousBoston: Don't act like the people on PSN are any better than those on XBL. There are just fewer of them.
Qraze's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 15:56
Qraze
ha!
Jawmuncher's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 15:59
Jawmuncher
Yep this is all true, my friend who got deatured.
Some mught remember TheSeventhJedi had been featured around TFU's release.

What did he get in return?
All the mean messages and such (Ending having to set his account where he receives nothing but from friends. And the hate actually spread to peopl on his friends list.
Some of the other people he know as well were harrassed do to the spotlight on Xbox.

God Damn Internet Anonymity makes people dumb.
WarZombie's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 17:25
WarZombie
Only the XBL assholes can make what's supposed to be a good thing a bad thing.

@ Nitex

They attack them not because they're jealous, but because they have anonymity. If people don't know who you are, then it gives them all they need to be assholes for no other reason than to be assholes. If Microsoft made it so that people knew who you were, it would solve 99% of these problems. Of course, certain rights would be infringed, but since when have companies been afraid to do that (Jokes)?
Shadowiii's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 17:34
Shadowiii
That is not surprising. I could see a 12 year old seeing the spotlight person and thinking "hur hur, it would be hilarious if I did this" in his juvenile, retarded way.
This is why I'm always in a party chat in every game I play, or mute the remainder of my team. Sure, we may play worse, but maybe if they weren't such douches I could leave my mic on.
CheapyD's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 17:55
CheapyD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_cJ7z5kdKA
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 19:08
Jon B
WELCOME TO XBOX LIVE.

ENJOY YOUR STAY.

FUCKER.
MasterMS's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 19:12
MasterMS
That's really sad. Not surprising when it came to the girl gamer though. I was just in a game of Fat Princess and there was a female gamer on my team. She was hit on as soon as my fellow male players heard her voice. Do people really think they are going to hook up over the PSN or XBL?

People really know how to take the fun out of the games/services they claim to "love" so much.
The Juda's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 20:11
The Juda
I looked on the spotlight page to see how many people still had their gamertags. Quite a few of them had been changed. Pretty sad.
Kent's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/16/2009 22:30
Kent
most of the time when you look at their profiles, they say, don't send anymore messages...My friendslist is full..Seems like a huge hassle to be on there.
ViewFinder's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/17/2009 04:32
ViewFinder
So, no news in here, this is just sad. So sad that I just lost all faith that I had left(very little, probably not even worth mentioning) to mankind.
Thank you XBL, you made world little worse to be.
Nic128's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/17/2009 07:42
Nic128
I'm all for undoing the anonymity. Let's see if their f*cktard attitude is gonna change.
ChaosTeaCup's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/17/2009 10:16
ChaosTeaCup
So retarded and sad. Anonymity breeds arsemunch complete - the internet is living proof. But in all walks of life, if you have x-million people on one medium, it's impossible for there not to be x-thousand arseholes. There just aren't enough nice-people hats to go round.
Tralfmadoria's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/18/2009 19:21
Tralfmadoria
I'm waiting until the internet turns into cyberspace (a-la Ghost in the Shell) and the day people will no longer have anonymity online. Because none of these idiots would have the balls to do that face-to-face.
Tralfmadoria's Avatar - Comment posted on 08/18/2009 19:28
Tralfmadoria
I'm waiting until the internet turns into cyberspace (a-la Ghost in the Shell) and the day people will no longer have anonymity online. Because none of these idiots would have the balls to do that face-to-face.
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