What Halo game will you play first?

I would hate to assume what you mean by this? Is it because it made the platform attractive to teenagers, therefore making people take notice of XBOX and making it viable as a console platform? Seems like we've had this discussion before.

Originally Posted by Fshguy

I get that, and appreciate the need to grow an enterprise, and I don't have any ill will towards any of the companies involved. However, for 2 years, from Live launching to Halo 2 release, I played online every night. Mostly the Clancy games, but, a bit of everything. In that time, I never once had a person yelling in my ear, or random music playing, or "shocking" hate speech, or any of the other ridiculous experiences that happen now. I would log in, find a group, chat about tactics, attempt to pull off said tactics, chat with the other team, exchange friend requests, go about my next game. Halo 2 broke that.

I understand that I am a curmudgeon. I accept that. But, I miss that experience...

I think that depends entirely on the game you play. I had a fair amount of the same nonsense when playing Counterstrike on Live, but playing with friends helped avoid the worst of it.
The larger and more popular the game, the higher the chance of dealing with unfavorable players.

I get that, and appreciate the need to grow an enterprise, and I don't have any ill will towards any of the companies involved. However, for 2 years, from Live launching to Halo 2 release, I played online every night. Mostly the Clancy games, but, a bit of everything. In that time, I never once had a person yelling in my ear, or random music playing, or "shocking" hate speech, or any of the other ridiculous experiences that happen now. I would log in, find a group, chat about tactics, attempt to pull off said tactics, chat with the other team, exchange friend requests, go about my next game. Halo 2 broke that.

I understand that I am a curmudgeon. I accept that. But, I miss that experience...

Originally Posted by futiles

I don't think you can blame Halo 2 or the service for that. You have to blame the people. Bungie, Halo 2, Microsoft, Xbox Live, are not the source for that, they are the conduit. If your boss calls you to tell you that you are fired, do you blame AT&T for allowing that exchange to take place on their service? Someone dials a wrong number to your phone or prank calls you and yells obscenities at you, do you blame AT&T for breaking your phone service experience? Death threats posted on Twitter, can we blame Twitter for creating that service?

Now, something can be said against the proper policing of the service, and how much policing is too much policing in a free speech society, but it comes down to people being to blame. The people you encounter, not the service you find them on.

I don't think you can blame Halo 2 or the service for that. You have to blame the people. Bungie, Halo 2, Microsoft, Xbox Live, are not the source for that, they are the conduit. If your boss calls you to tell you that you are fired, do you blame AT&T for allowing that exchange to take place on their service? Someone dials a wrong number to your phone or prank calls you and yells obscenities at you, do you blame AT&T for breaking your phone service experience? Death threats posted on Twitter, can we blame Twitter for creating that service?

Now, something can be said against the proper policing of the service, and how much policing is too much policing in a free speech society, but it comes down to people being to blame. The people you encounter, not the service you find them on.

Originally Posted by palmettobling

You're wrong. Closed services like Xbox Live, PSN, whatever are not free speech societies. They never have been and they never will be. Most of the negative experiences I mention are actually against most ToS/CoC, but, they aren't enforced usually.

And, by patch quoting me, please keep my context. I flat out said that I don't blame the companies. I blame the experience, and Halo 2 was the experience.

You're wrong. Closed services like Xbox Live, PSN, whatever are not free speech societies. They never have been and they never will be. Most of the negative experiences I mention are actually against most ToS/CoC, but, they aren't enforced usually.

And, by patch quoting me, please keep my context. I flat out said that I don't blame the companies. I blame the experience, and Halo 2 was the experience.

Originally Posted by futiles

Sorry about the patch quoting, this is really the first forum I have regularly posted to, I can see how that is misleading; I only intended to call out the points I was replying to. I have edited the post so that it has the full quote.

That is an excellent point that they are not free speech societies, the Terms of Use expressly point out that you must not:

• ... Use the Services to harm, threaten, or harass another person, organization, or Microsoft ...

I see what you are saying that Halo 2 was the experience for you, it is just a different approach to it that I had not thought of before. I always drive back past the product or service, to the people, where I think it drives home the point The Walking Dead has been writing for years: Humans are the real monsters.