Back in the earlier days of Xbox Live, while the Xbox 360 was still in its prime, the platform’s support forums used to allow users to complain about bans they’d received, and Microsoft staff would actually reply. Even if the users were being racist little shits.
It seems a universe away from how platforms are moderated in 2018, and in video game years I guess it is, but it’s still wild looking at this collection of screenshots. The sheer audacity of these kids trying to get out of their bans is almost admirable, but then so is the patience of the people having to deal with them.
Though getting in the odd sick burn looks like it made it all worthwhile.
While this forum is long gone, these screenshots have been saved by Cabel Sasser, co-founder of Panic Inc, the publisher responsible for stuff like Firewatch and the upcoming Asshole Goose Game.
“It was so good, I would read it every day”, he says, “mostly for the schadenfreude of idiot kids playing dumb and getting called out.”
Here are some of the highlights he’s managed to preserve (any shots with an M or X in the “community user level” are reps replying):
And my favourite:
Ah, the good ol’ days.