Autistic Xbox Player's Mother Admits He Cheated

[jovack22]

If the mother agrees that the game "isn't a big deal" -- "it's not like he gave a bank password or anything", then why would she go to the media in the first place about the ban? haha

Looks like someone was hoping for a quick paycheck via silly lawsuit.

 

[squid5580]

What part of my argument do you not get? I'm not saying that you should tell anyone it is okay to cheat. I'm saying there's no point in punishing someone who doesn't understand what cheating is, because they wouldn't understand why they are being punished.

Or we can treat everyone equally?

This was not 'punishment' - it was the breaking of an agreement between the provider of the service and the customer. The outcome was what was specified would happen in the event of a certain breach of that agreement. MS would have had absolutely no idea the kid was disabled when they acted, nor would they need that information as it's not relevent.

They didn't even ban him anyway. They removed his ill-gotten gains and marked him as a cheater. Due to the complaining from the mother they have offered him free gametime and a new gamertag to start fresh - more then anyone else would be given.

You missed most of the argument. That's all a separate issue from what I was talking about. If it's not punishment, then fine. But labeling someone a cheater kinda seems like a punishment to me. I also wasn't saying that microsoft's actions were wrong, from their perspective they were doing everything by the book.

On a separate note, I think they removed ALL of his achievements whereas he only got one or two through cheating, which really seems bogus to me, regardless of the kid's circumstances. I think removing someone's bogus achievements and calling them a cheater is enough. Unless they've modded their Xbox, in which case they're not just cheaters, but have broken all sorts of other rules. Then they should probably be taken off Xbox live completely. Come to think of it, the person who gave the kid the achievements did that, so he should definitely be hunted down and have his xbox destroyed. The drug dealers are a lot worse than the drug users if you understand my analogy.

Oh sure you are right that the guy who did it should pay as well.

I gotta ask you something. If it was just some random non disabled person who had their score reset to 0 would you feel that that person should only have the achievements they can prove he cheated for removed? Since well just because they can prove he cheated for a few doesn't mean he didn't cheat for them all.

Definitely. It's about what you can prove. You can't convict someone of something unless you can prove it. I think the fact that they are labeled cheater is enough to imply to anyone that their other achievements are questionable. Like I said, this is divorced from any special circumstances or disabilities. To have cheated for just one achievement and then have all of your well earned achievements scratched is pretty messed up. I think having the label cheater is enough of a disincentive, it kind of makes your gamerscore meaningless as a bragging right. But like I said, if a person actually physically modifies their xbox then put the hammer to them.

Oh they catch you doing that it is the banhammer. They brick your console if they catch you doing that.

As well they should. I'm glad we agree on something.

We agree on alot more than you realize. I am not against giving special treatment to special people when it comes down to importance or neccesity. I am not against seeing a seeing eye dog in a restaurant. Or the special olympics. I think that is awesome. I know a few people who are involved with the SO and it does wonders for them. There is a slight difference between that and this. You see the SO have no impact on the other Olympics (winter, summer whatever). The seeing eye dog negatively effects no one. Cheaters on the other hand do. I love my achievements. I love competing for them. So what you have been saying is it is ok for MS to take something away from me, an innocent bystander, because he didn't know any better. I mean how is it fair or right for me to be punished for something someone else did wrong.

And I don't know if I mentioned this or not but how is only taking away the achievements they got caught cheating for a punishment or a detterent? I mean that isn't going to stop anyone from doing it at all. That is like getting busted for stealing and having to give the item back. There is no lesson there. You are just leaving the person in the same position that they started in. I am a firm believer in the punishment fitting the crime. And labelling a cheater on their gamercard and taking away all of their achievement points sounds like a fitting punishment to me.

See my other comment. My point was that it wasn't fair to the disabled person, not that it was fair to everyone else. Plus they aren't just taking away your achievements by cheating, if there is any loss on your part it is very slight and psychological. I was NEVER saying that it was fair to other gamers, it isn't, but that one scenario is just so different that it should make a difference.

As far as the deterrent goes, I'd say that the label 'cheater' is pretty much all you need really. It nullifies any gamerscore you might have. It would be even funnier if they labeled someone a cheater and gave them one billion gamerpoints because it would make anything they did completely meaningless and would be mocking them. Not that I'm saying they should do that, it would just be funny. But I reiterate, I think the cheater label does all of the work. I'd rather have them take away all my gamerpoints than just label me a cheater, even if I was allowed to keep them. Everyone on XBL will inevitably hassle you, you'd just have to create a new gamertag and there's not much else to it. At that point it doesn't really matter what your gamerscore is.

Not like it does in the first place, I know I don't really care about mine. Sometimes I like to complete them, but only on a game I really like, and not because it gives me some positive rush, but rather because it bothers me a little if I haven't. I don't really even like the gamerscore system, it just rewards you for consumerism basically. Mastering a game doesn't matter nearly as much as buying and playing a lot of games. It's a pretty blatant attempt at manipulation on the part of MS.

OK the billion thing would be funny. I loled when I read that. And I do agree that the cheater label may be a bit harsher than necassarry. But just taking their achievements and not allowing them to earn them again may be a bit too light. But it is MS's playground so it is their rules. And it isn't like he is the only one this happened to for the record. At the very least they should be allowed to pay the 800 and change their name and have it removed. But on the flip side some people might care if they end up in a match with a cheater for any number of reasons.

So here is my reasoning. It isn't fair to the kid who doesn't know better to be punished. It isn't fair to MS or the rest of us to be punished for him not being punished (because losing the integrity of the achievement system is a punishment). And the only one that should be punished (the mother in this case) is untouchable. Unless MS sends an agent to her house to kick her in the nuts it will never be fair.

 

[deathstrikesquirrel]

The moral of the story is never to cheat on online game, or to not suck at cheating.
Only Cheat on tests*,Significant others**,Taxes***, or regular video games****
*Poster does not endorse Academic dishonesty, goes double if any of my teachers are on this forum
** Poster does not endorse cheating on your loved ones.
***Poster does not endorse cheating on your taxes, and will gladly turn you in for the potential of reward money, just putting that out there.
**** I totally endorse this, infinite rocket launcher makes GTA4 fun.

 

[Artlover]

I bet you feel pretty stupid now, don't ya lady?

I'm sure the neighborhood is having a field day with her.

Don't know about her, but I sure hope all the people that defended this kid without any facts (especially all those that insisted on making up their own facts to act indignant over) do.

 

[InfiniteSingularity]

Wait, what? Punished for cheating for a set of armor? Why the fuck is it even an issue Microsoft? He's not hacking for scores, he's hacking for Recon Armor. Why do you care? Get a grip

 

[Artlover]

So here is my reasoning. It isn't fair to the kid who doesn't know better to be punished.

Uh, why exactly do you choose to believe that the kid didn't know any better?

Being Autistic is not the same as being mentaly retarded. Autistic's as a general rule DO know right from wrong, and actually tend to be more concerned with moral and ethcial issues then others. There have been numerous studies on this very specific issue and the results were always quite clear when the tests were unbiased.

Seriously, your line of thinking sounds like something "Autisim Speaks" would spew. (For the record, most autistic people want nothing to do with AS because they have a history of being loose on facts and heavy on lies & negative stereoypes that portray autistic persons as being inferiour, worthless, and a danger to society.)

If anyone is interested in actually learning anything about it (and maybe wanting to do something to help) visit http://www.autisticadvocacy.org/.

Tho I can tell "everyone" one good way to start helping: Stop spouting unfactual nonsense about what being autistic means. Such ignorance only serves to HURT those effected with it.

 

[squid5580]

So here is my reasoning. It isn't fair to the kid who doesn't know better to be punished.

Uh, why exactly do you choose to believe that the kid didn't know any better?

Well mainly because that is the hypothetical scenerio we have been discussing for the last I oh I don't know how many pages now. I am pretty sure we moved past Autism a while back.

 

[Char-Nobyl]

Zdenek was aware that her son gave his information to another player, but still paints her son in an innocent light. "I did warn him about this but seeing it wasn't a bank password or anything big, it's just a game we didn't worry about it too much and the boy just offered to give him Recon Armor, which he did," she said.

Oh, the classic "I have such a low opinion of games that I don't think cheating matters" defense. So that makes her a liar and an asshole: a liar for baaaaawwwing that her son never cheated when she knew that he turned over personal information to a modder, and an asshole for claiming that gaming is asinine enough that cheating is okay.

She's given up on fighting Microsoft, and will likely take the company's offer of a free month of Xbox Live Gold and a new Gamertag for Jackson to start again.

Hats off to Microsoft here. Under literally no obligation to do anything for this kid especially after he/his mom lie to the media to try and demonize them, and they give him a month of Live and a fresh Gamertag.

It appears that Zdenek left some very crucial information out of the original tale she told the media, and even worse, used her son's ailment to gain sympathy. I get that Zdenek probably just cares about her son, but she comes off looking pretty bad for her dishonesty.

That's putting it lightly. She willfully violated Microsoft's terms of service by consciously turning over information to a modder, then boldfacedly lied about it to the media to try and demonize Microsoft. She ought to be thanking her lucky stars that Microsoft's giving her son a fresh start instead of a lawsuit for slander.

 

[Char-Nobyl]

Wait, what? Punished for cheating for a set of armor? Why the fuck is it even an issue Microsoft? He's not hacking for scores, he's hacking for Recon Armor. Why do you care? Get a grip

If you rob a bank, you get punished for stealing $10,000 just the same as you would for stealing $100. If you hurt people along the way (or, in this case, affect other accounts as a result of modding), then the case against you worsens.

Oh please everyone that is on there high freaking horse . Oh he shouldn't have cheated hes a bad boy. How many of your achievements have you gotten 100% on your own with no help from any one else . Youtube/friend/faqs everyone does so grow up quit hammering the kid.

You seem to confuse "knowing something exists and how to get it" with "using illegal mods to get something." You're trying to liken stealing a car to reading a car's owner's manual.

As for his disability until you know the full extent don't assume you know what the kid can and can't do. Autism can be a real *****. The mother over reacted to lash out at Xbox facts are fact kid got caught.

I see. Yet what I/others have been doing is treating this kid as anyone else would be if they committed this offense. You, on the other hand, are assuming that he was too retarded to be treated as an equal, which is more insulting to him than anything I've ever said.

 

[InfiniteSingularity]

Wait, what? Punished for cheating for a set of armor? Why the fuck is it even an issue Microsoft? He's not hacking for scores, he's hacking for Recon Armor. Why do you care? Get a grip

If you rob a bank, you get punished for stealing $10,000 just the same as you would for stealing $100. If you hurt people along the way (or, in this case, affect other accounts as a result of modding), then the case against you worsens.

Uh, yeah, okay. But if you rob a bank you are stealing something which rightfully belonged to someone. He just wants some Halo 3 armor, why is it such a big deal? He's not hurting anyone, he's not interfering with anyone's fun on Xbox Live, and he's not stealing from anyone. I don't see the problem here. And it's only Xbox achievements anyway, if you're taking them so seriously that you think M$ is right, you need to get out more

 

[Char-Nobyl]

Wait, what? Punished for cheating for a set of armor? Why the fuck is it even an issue Microsoft? He's not hacking for scores, he's hacking for Recon Armor. Why do you care? Get a grip

If you rob a bank, you get punished for stealing $10,000 just the same as you would for stealing $100. If you hurt people along the way (or, in this case, affect other accounts as a result of modding), then the case against you worsens.

Uh, yeah, okay. But if you rob a bank you are stealing something which rightfully belonged to someone. He just wants some Halo 3 armor, why is it such a big deal?

The same is true here. The armor set rightfully belonged to people who had earned it. He didn't earn it. Do the math.

He's not hurting anyone, he's not interfering with anyone's fun on Xbox Live, and he's not stealing from anyone. I don't see the problem here.

How do you think banks work? Specifically, what happens when someone robs them? Do you think that, when people deposit their money, it all goes into specially designated piles, waiting for them to withdraw it again? And when someone robs a bank, one unfortunate bank customer learns that their money pile lost X amount of money because his specific bills were stolen?

Here's the thing: money in banks is insured. Neither the bank nor those with money deposited in the bank is losing money from a robbery. So as long as no one gets hurt, bank robbery must be okay then, right?

And it's only Xbox achievements anyway, if you're taking them so seriously that you think M$ is right, you need to get out more

lulz, the "if u keep arguing dis pont, den u hav no lif" argument. And you know what? I don't think Achievements have any inherent value to them, much in the same way that I don't think money has any inherent value. Value is a quality that takes into account many different factors, not the least of which being the work that went into them. Achievements represent work, much in the same way money does. I don't hold the two up to the same level of value, but that's beside the point.

And I can always fall back on the letter of the law. He broke the terms of use, and the suffered comparatively minor consequences as a result. He got off lucky.

 

[InfiniteSingularity]

Wait, what? Punished for cheating for a set of armor? Why the fuck is it even an issue Microsoft? He's not hacking for scores, he's hacking for Recon Armor. Why do you care? Get a grip

If you rob a bank, you get punished for stealing $10,000 just the same as you would for stealing $100. If you hurt people along the way (or, in this case, affect other accounts as a result of modding), then the case against you worsens.

Uh, yeah, okay. But if you rob a bank you are stealing something which rightfully belonged to someone. He just wants some Halo 3 armor, why is it such a big deal?

The same is true here. The armor set rightfully belonged to people who had earned it. He didn't earn it. Do the math.

The difference here is that this kid didn't take anything from anyone. People who have these achievements and/or recon armor still have it, it didn't get taken from them, because it's a copy of a file on a game disc. Whether he has it or not doesn't affect anyone in any way, except for the purists who seem to take it personally because they "worked for their achievements". And if they get caught up in the fact that some kid didn't work for the video game reward that they worked for, then I'm afraid those people are taking Xbox Live achievements far too seriously

How do you think banks work? Specifically, what happens when someone robs them? Do you think that, when people deposit their money, it all goes into specially designated piles, waiting for them to withdraw it again? And when someone robs a bank, one unfortunate bank customer learns that their money pile lost X amount of money because his specific bills were stolen?

Here's the thing: money in banks is insured. Neither the bank nor those with money deposited in the bank is losing money from a robbery. So as long as no one gets hurt, bank robbery must be okay then, right?

Well, in the purest sense, no, of course not. And this is because money, as opposed to gamerscore, affects people's actual life in a very major way. And if some dick robbed a bank and became rich, bought a mansion and lived in luxury, then yeah, I would have a problem with that, because it's selfish given that there are homeless people, starving children and people living in poverty everywhere in the world, and that sort of money should go to the people who need it. But then I would dispute the bank robbery thing, because if there was someone in poverty who decided to rob a bank so they could get money to eat, then I would support that fully

And it's only Xbox achievements anyway, if you're taking them so seriously that you think M$ is right, you need to get out more

lulz, the "if u keep arguing dis pont, den u hav no lif" argument. And you know what? I don't think Achievements have any inherent value to them, much in the same way that I don't think money has any inherent value. Value is a quality that takes into account many different factors, not the least of which being the work that went into them. Achievements represent work, much in the same way money does. I don't hold the two up to the same level of value, but that's beside the point.

And I can always fall back on the letter of the law. He broke the terms of use, and the suffered comparatively minor consequences as a result. He got off lucky.

This links back to my previous statement. Xbox live achievements are completely irrelevant - in real life and in Xbox. We play games to have fun, do we not? So why do we get so caught up in an arbitrary scoring system, and little rewards that we get while playing? And if a kid wants to have a bit more fun with some extra armor in Halo, what of it? Let the kid have some fun, and it's up to us older people to be more mature and deal with it.

 

[Killclaw Kilrathi]

That was pretty generous of Microsoft to offer a free month of Gold to a cheater, especially after the crap the mother knowingly stirred up.

 

[Unspeakable]

That was pretty generous of Microsoft to offer a free month of Gold to a cheater, especially after the crap the mother knowingly stirred up.

But really now, is the autism even really confirmed?

 

[rapidoud]

Saw this coming a mile away as soon as I saw the title to the first news article.

Honestly, people need to stop milking disabilities.

I've had psychological problems close to being labelled alzheimer's, I'm pretty sure I would do something like this as well without realising the consequences and then feeling guilty as hell afterwards.

 

[goatonastik]

So, even though he was proven to cheat, MS still gave them a free month and another gamertag.

...who's the bad guy here now?

 

[ReiverCorrupter]

What part of my argument do you not get? I'm not saying that you should tell anyone it is okay to cheat. I'm saying there's no point in punishing someone who doesn't understand what cheating is, because they wouldn't understand why they are being punished.

Or we can treat everyone equally?

This was not 'punishment' - it was the breaking of an agreement between the provider of the service and the customer. The outcome was what was specified would happen in the event of a certain breach of that agreement. MS would have had absolutely no idea the kid was disabled when they acted, nor would they need that information as it's not relevent.

They didn't even ban him anyway. They removed his ill-gotten gains and marked him as a cheater. Due to the complaining from the mother they have offered him free gametime and a new gamertag to start fresh - more then anyone else would be given.

You missed most of the argument. That's all a separate issue from what I was talking about. If it's not punishment, then fine. But labeling someone a cheater kinda seems like a punishment to me. I also wasn't saying that microsoft's actions were wrong, from their perspective they were doing everything by the book.

On a separate note, I think they removed ALL of his achievements whereas he only got one or two through cheating, which really seems bogus to me, regardless of the kid's circumstances. I think removing someone's bogus achievements and calling them a cheater is enough. Unless they've modded their Xbox, in which case they're not just cheaters, but have broken all sorts of other rules. Then they should probably be taken off Xbox live completely. Come to think of it, the person who gave the kid the achievements did that, so he should definitely be hunted down and have his xbox destroyed. The drug dealers are a lot worse than the drug users if you understand my analogy.

Oh sure you are right that the guy who did it should pay as well.

I gotta ask you something. If it was just some random non disabled person who had their score reset to 0 would you feel that that person should only have the achievements they can prove he cheated for removed? Since well just because they can prove he cheated for a few doesn't mean he didn't cheat for them all.

Definitely. It's about what you can prove. You can't convict someone of something unless you can prove it. I think the fact that they are labeled cheater is enough to imply to anyone that their other achievements are questionable. Like I said, this is divorced from any special circumstances or disabilities. To have cheated for just one achievement and then have all of your well earned achievements scratched is pretty messed up. I think having the label cheater is enough of a disincentive, it kind of makes your gamerscore meaningless as a bragging right. But like I said, if a person actually physically modifies their xbox then put the hammer to them.

Oh they catch you doing that it is the banhammer. They brick your console if they catch you doing that.

As well they should. I'm glad we agree on something.

We agree on alot more than you realize. I am not against giving special treatment to special people when it comes down to importance or neccesity. I am not against seeing a seeing eye dog in a restaurant. Or the special olympics. I think that is awesome. I know a few people who are involved with the SO and it does wonders for them. There is a slight difference between that and this. You see the SO have no impact on the other Olympics (winter, summer whatever). The seeing eye dog negatively effects no one. Cheaters on the other hand do. I love my achievements. I love competing for them. So what you have been saying is it is ok for MS to take something away from me, an innocent bystander, because he didn't know any better. I mean how is it fair or right for me to be punished for something someone else did wrong.

And I don't know if I mentioned this or not but how is only taking away the achievements they got caught cheating for a punishment or a detterent? I mean that isn't going to stop anyone from doing it at all. That is like getting busted for stealing and having to give the item back. There is no lesson there. You are just leaving the person in the same position that they started in. I am a firm believer in the punishment fitting the crime. And labelling a cheater on their gamercard and taking away all of their achievement points sounds like a fitting punishment to me.

See my other comment. My point was that it wasn't fair to the disabled person, not that it was fair to everyone else. Plus they aren't just taking away your achievements by cheating, if there is any loss on your part it is very slight and psychological. I was NEVER saying that it was fair to other gamers, it isn't, but that one scenario is just so different that it should make a difference.

As far as the deterrent goes, I'd say that the label 'cheater' is pretty much all you need really. It nullifies any gamerscore you might have. It would be even funnier if they labeled someone a cheater and gave them one billion gamerpoints because it would make anything they did completely meaningless and would be mocking them. Not that I'm saying they should do that, it would just be funny. But I reiterate, I think the cheater label does all of the work. I'd rather have them take away all my gamerpoints than just label me a cheater, even if I was allowed to keep them. Everyone on XBL will inevitably hassle you, you'd just have to create a new gamertag and there's not much else to it. At that point it doesn't really matter what your gamerscore is.

Not like it does in the first place, I know I don't really care about mine. Sometimes I like to complete them, but only on a game I really like, and not because it gives me some positive rush, but rather because it bothers me a little if I haven't. I don't really even like the gamerscore system, it just rewards you for consumerism basically. Mastering a game doesn't matter nearly as much as buying and playing a lot of games. It's a pretty blatant attempt at manipulation on the part of MS.

OK the billion thing would be funny. I loled when I read that. And I do agree that the cheater label may be a bit harsher than necessary. But just taking their achievements and not allowing them to earn them again may be a bit too light. But it is MS's playground so it is their rules. And it isn't like he is the only one this happened to for the record. At the very least they should be allowed to pay the 800 and change their name and have it removed. But on the flip side some people might care if they end up in a match with a cheater for any number of reasons.

So here is my reasoning. It isn't fair to the kid who doesn't know better to be punished. It isn't fair to MS or the rest of us to be punished for him not being punished (because losing the integrity of the achievement system is a punishment). And the only one that should be punished (the mother in this case) is untouchable. Unless MS sends an agent to her house to kick her in the nuts it will never be fair.

Sometimes things just aren't fair. I think we've reached agreement now. Yeah, I'm not sure they should just be allowed to pay the 800 MS for a namechange to get rid of the label. I'd say new GT altogether, lose all of the achievements. That's a pretty big reason not to cheat for them, and that way you don't have to guess at what they've cheated for and what they haven't. The beauty of the cheater label is that even if you only cheat once, you're still a cheater.

 

[ReiverCorrupter]

Wait, what? Punished for cheating for a set of armor? Why the fuck is it even an issue Microsoft? He's not hacking for scores, he's hacking for Recon Armor. Why do you care? Get a grip

If you rob a bank, you get punished for stealing $10,000 just the same as you would for stealing $100. If you hurt people along the way (or, in this case, affect other accounts as a result of modding), then the case against you worsens.

Uh, yeah, okay. But if you rob a bank you are stealing something which rightfully belonged to someone. He just wants some Halo 3 armor, why is it such a big deal?

The same is true here. The armor set rightfully belonged to people who had earned it. He didn't earn it. Do the math.

The difference here is that this kid didn't take anything from anyone. People who have these achievements and/or recon armor still have it, it didn't get taken from them, because it's a copy of a file on a game disc. Whether he has it or not doesn't affect anyone in any way, except for the purists who seem to take it personally because they "worked for their achievements". And if they get caught up in the fact that some kid didn't work for the video game reward that they worked for, then I'm afraid those people are taking Xbox Live achievements far too seriously

How do you think banks work? Specifically, what happens when someone robs them? Do you think that, when people deposit their money, it all goes into specially designated piles, waiting for them to withdraw it again? And when someone robs a bank, one unfortunate bank customer learns that their money pile lost X amount of money because his specific bills were stolen?

Here's the thing: money in banks is insured. Neither the bank nor those with money deposited in the bank is losing money from a robbery. So as long as no one gets hurt, bank robbery must be okay then, right?

Well, in the purest sense, no, of course not. And this is because money, as opposed to gamerscore, affects people's actual life in a very major way. And if some dick robbed a bank and became rich, bought a mansion and lived in luxury, then yeah, I would have a problem with that, because it's selfish given that there are homeless people, starving children and people living in poverty everywhere in the world, and that sort of money should go to the people who need it. But then I would dispute the bank robbery thing, because if there was someone in poverty who decided to rob a bank so they could get money to eat, then I would support that fully

And it's only Xbox achievements anyway, if you're taking them so seriously that you think M$ is right, you need to get out more

lulz, the "if u keep arguing dis pont, den u hav no lif" argument. And you know what? I don't think Achievements have any inherent value to them, much in the same way that I don't think money has any inherent value. Value is a quality that takes into account many different factors, not the least of which being the work that went into them. Achievements represent work, much in the same way money does. I don't hold the two up to the same level of value, but that's beside the point.

And I can always fall back on the letter of the law. He broke the terms of use, and the suffered comparatively minor consequences as a result. He got off lucky.

This links back to my previous statement. Xbox live achievements are completely irrelevant - in real life and in Xbox. We play games to have fun, do we not? So why do we get so caught up in an arbitrary scoring system, and little rewards that we get while playing? And if a kid wants to have a bit more fun with some extra armor in Halo, what of it? Let the kid have some fun, and it's up to us older people to be more mature and deal with it.

I'd just like to point out that your argument is pretty similar to the general argument about internet piracy. Sure no one is physically taking something from someone, but if everyone pirated their music, movies, and videogames, then there would be no money in it and the respective industries would collapse, meaning that no one would get to have music, videogames or movies anymore. Furthermore, the more people who pirate, the less money the companies get for their games, and thus the public will get a more inferior product overall.

Not sure if any of that applies to gamerpoints though. It's just a matter of what's fair to other players. Look at Halo 2. The game was broken because of modders and lag cheaters. Rank was essentially just a measure of how much you cheated. If you don't keep a tight control on it, it will ruin the game.