Microsoft is inviting people to their rewards program for Xbox 360, a program that encourages people to spend money by offering them a tiny amount of money in return. The idea is that this is better than spending money and getting nothing in return except for some shitty product or service.
This return money is in the form of Microsoft points. Microsoft points are like real money except not very valuable. If you have one hundred American dollars, you can buy half an Xbox 360 console. If you have one hundred Microsoft points, you can trade them in for $1.25, buy bus fare, and go look at a Xbox 360 console in the store.
The thing I found interesting about this program is how much Microsoft is willing to give gamers for their feedback. If you were chosen to test the rewards program, you can fill out a feedback survey and get 100 Microsoft points in return. That’s right, kids. Microsoft values your feedback so much that they are willing to bribe you with $1.25. Microsoft probably settled on this system when they discovered that it wasn’t logistically possible or legal to bribe people with tootsie rolls through the mail.
I’m not sure who this is supposed to target. The die hard Xbox 360 users will fill out their surveys just for the chance that there’s a section for opinions about the direction of the Halo franchise. People like me who traditionally avoid surveys because they take up time reserved for watching Evil Dead movies won’t be tempted by $1.25 in points.
If Microsoft finds out a way to implement that tootsie roll system, I’ll have to rethink my position.
