Of course there’s no room for nuance with Xbox’s latest eight strike system
Xbox has introduced a new strike system that keeps track of the number of reports against a player, and not everyone has taken the news well.
Xbox has revealed a new system that takes into account the number, and severity of player infringements, as well as how the enforcement teams take action against these reports. The new system relies on strikes, which any give player can accumulate based on the weight of each infringement.
As explained in the detailed announcement on Xbox Wire, each number of strikes will get the player banned an appropriate amount of time. For instance, two strikes will earn you a one-day ban, and four brings that up to seven days.
Acuminating eight strikes will get the player in question banned for a whole year. The ban prevents you from accessing social features, like messaging, parties, party chat and even online multiplayer. You will not lose access to your purchased content, except in extreme cases where Xbox has determined there is illegal activity involved.
Strikes remain on a player's record for six months, and you can improve your standing by making sure not to accrue any more strikes against your account. It's worth noting that the severity of each action determines the number of associated strikes. Use of profanity, for example, is one strike, whereas hate speech is three.
You can still appeal any strikes against your account, if you deem them erroneous. Xbox also made it easier for players to keep track of their slate through the enforcement history page.
The response has been unusually mixed. Most believe it's a good, transparent system, but some would still like fewer chances given to bad actors. It's also clear not everyone agrees with how Microsoft has weighed the different infringements, such as both cheating and use of profanity having the same number of strikes.
Of course, there's always scepticism that any system that relies on player reports will be abused by trolls.
On the more extreme end of the spectrum, some are against the existence of such a system to begin with. You also have the usual takes about "what is even classed as hate speech these days?" that are common whenever news of similar systems arrive.
