If you are an online gamer, you'd have no doubt come across an idiot at some point during your gaming. Y'know, the people who call you every insult they can think of, from homophobic slurs to digs at your mother?

Well you shouldn't just hate them because they are annoying morons. You should also hate them because they are holding back the online industry. Bill Fulton, of Microsoft, explains why ...

Note: This content contains language that may offend readers.

Of all the ways I spend my free time, playing games online is the only one I would describe as "frequently barbaric". Insults of all kinds, including racist and homophobic slurs, are commonplace.
And that's just how players are intentionally insulting -- what some people do while playing online can also be aggravating.
Cheating, team-killing, entering a game but not playing, quitting before the game is over, and more, are all relatively common.

Why do I care? Some gamers might be thinking "If he's so thin-skinned that he can't take the online banter, maybe he shouldn’t play online." Unfortunately, many people do just that -- they stop playing online.

So again, why do I care? Because the online behavior of our customers is dramatically reducing our sales, and continues to stunt the growth of our industry. Non-gamers simply don’t love games enough to put up with the crap they get online. The reason they would consider playing online is to have fun with other people -- and right now, playing games online with strangers rarely delivers that for anyone outside the hardcore demographic.

Miss Razz via gamasutra.com »