"I used to have a problem; a points problem, if you will. Yes, I’m talking about those stupid achievements that give you stupid points that go on your stupid gamertag. But early on in the life cycle of the Xbox 360, I was absolutely hooked on getting all the achievements I possibly could to show the world that I was a “hardcore gamer” and I had the points to back that statement up. Despite it being an irrational and idiotic stance to take, the draw of it early on was fantastic; my competitive nature was being tapped into through this points system.
Over time my interest waned. Maybe the novelty wore off or I came to the realization that there was no reason I should be playing Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (there is no reason anyone should be playing that damn game) for these mystical “points”. Then the Xbox Rewards Program came out.
But, as quick as it came, the quicker it went away.
For those of you who are unaware of the Xbox Rewards Program, it basically allowed you to get free stuff because of your “gamerscore”. The first and only offering was on February 12, 2007, entitled the “Old Spice Experience Challenge”. It had three different levels for rewards, which was based on how much gamerscore you had accumulated in the past year. After your prize level was ascertained, all you had to do was raise your gamerscore by 1,500 points, and you had your prize. There were rewards that ranged from a gamer picture all the way up to a sealed copy of Fuzion Frenzy 2. (A game is a game, son.)
Since then, we’ve heard nothing more about “Xbox Rewards”, despite Microsoft still saying there will be “more to come,” on the initial rewards page:
Xbox Rewards is not just about playing online and racking up your Gamerscore—you don’t even have to be an Xbox LIVE member to participate and score some great rewards. As the community responds, the program will grow and new challenges will be announced. Some will be open only to certain Rewards levels, some may be specific to certain games, and others won’t even require you to turn on your Xbox 360.
Fast forward a year and we still haven’t seen another reward program. What the hell happened? I can only speculate on the possible issues. The one that seems to be the most logical is that they couldn’t secure another partnership to justify all the prizes they handed out. The only other explanation is that gamers weren’t interested, but I’m not buying that. The servers for Xbox.com were crashing because there was so much interest.
It’s a shame. For once, the gamerscore that you achieved was actually worth something tangible. Perhaps this is much ado about nothing, but I, for one, would like to see this program restored. How about it, Microsoft?"
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