I am asking those who may know this: My son is 10 years old and is playing XBOX LIVE and Halo Reach. He loves it and I think it is good to learn about group behaviors. Today, he was upset because he was told (he says by Bungee) that he needs to generate more points or he will be banned. He bought a used console and was high ranking and then when he joined LIVE he had to start his rank all over. I don’t know what his rank is but it is really good in the 3 weeks he has been in LIVE. I know some of the conversations with older kids to be rude and mean. But my son handles it with humor. I don’t understand why anyone would be banned for points. He is DressierBoat5. He doesn’t know I am inquiring and would be devastated to know I am in his “business”. But as a mom, I keep track of his video playing. Thanks
Unfortunately, the way Halo Reach is set up is that any and all credits/armor earned while playing OFFLINE is subsequently lost the first time one signs into Xbox live. It’s normal and has happened to many, many people. 
Edited by Moderator - Please refrain from making nonconstructive posts.
*Original post. Click at your own discretion.
First off your 10 year old son shouldn’t be playing an M-Rated game to begin with. Those are rules not suggestions.
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That was rude and uncalled for. In the future, don’t say anything. Thanks.
The same thing happened to me. I wanted to play campaign alone a little bit so I wouldnt have it spoiled by people online. Once I got familiar with the story and earned a few thousand credits I was reset also. It happens to alot of people because people have figured out ways to mod credits and become extremely high ranks in a short period of time. Im not saying your son is modding I am just saying that it happens because of modders. If your son wants a way to rank up real fast I suggest you look at the link below. You can do this but after a while you will hit what they call a credit cap but dont worry you wont be banned or anything. It is frowned upon in the Halo Community but I dont care. I am doing it to rank up because I cant play Halo Reach Multiplayer online unless it’s Score Attack or my friend hosts the party. Ever since my old router went out and I replaced it my internet hasnt been as reliable and cuts out on me sometimes. So thats why I do this. That way I can still keep up with my friends. Oh and I am glad you are a parent that monitors what their children play play online and who they play with. You wouldnt believe some of the things I hear from elementary and middle school kids. Hope your son ranks up fast.
Any credits gained in Halo: Reach offline are lost when switching to online. There is no way to get the credits back except for playing the game online.
Also your son would not be banned for not earning credits and it is likely that he received a message from someone online who was just messing with him. (Likely the one of the people you said we’re teasing him.)
Halo is rated M. And with that rating comes an older audience. Some people don’t use Xbox Live for recreational purposes. Some use it to steal personal information such as passwords, bank account information, email, ect. And a large portion of the community who use Xbox Live for recreational purposes may use language that you don’t approve of, and may also introduce your son to other things i’d rather not talk about here.
Two ways to prevent this from happening to your son is to make sure he does not have a Xbox microphone until he has matured to the point that you trust him completely, or until after you make sure he knows not to give out any information and avoid talking to strangers.
The second thing to do is monitor his Xbox Live messages (Either via the Xbox console, or Xbox.com).
These are merely my suggestions.
I hope it all works out for you and your son, and i find it good to see that you care so much for him that you try to help him with his problems.
> Halo is rated M for a very good reason, and its not just for the blood and violence in the game, its because of the online interactions.
Wrong. Online interactions are NOT rated.
> > Halo is rated M for a very good reason, and its not just for the blood and violence in the game, its because of the online interactions.
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> Wrong. Online interactions are NOT rated.
Still, online interactions still pose more of a threat on an M rated game than an E rated game. Halo is for mature audiences, and anyone who may not be as mature as the rest of the community may be exploited or abused.
> > > Halo is rated M for a very good reason, and its not just for the blood and violence in the game, its because of the online interactions.
> >
> > Wrong. Online interactions are NOT rated.
>
> Still, online interactions still pose more of a threat on an M rated game than an E rated game. Halo is for mature audiences, and anyone who may not be as mature as the rest of the community may be exploited or abused.
You are twisting the definition of the rating to suit your pleasures. You can define it for yourself however you want but the game’s rating is purely for the game, it has NOTHING to do with the online community. Period.
> > > > Halo is rated M for a very good reason, and its not just for the blood and violence in the game, its because of the online interactions.
> > >
> > > Wrong. Online interactions are NOT rated.
> >
> > Still, online interactions still pose more of a threat on an M rated game than an E rated game. Halo is for mature audiences, and anyone who may not be as mature as the rest of the community may be exploited or abused.
>
> You are twisting the definition of the rating to suit your pleasures. You can define it for yourself however you want but the game’s rating is purely for the game, it has NOTHING to do with the online community. Period.
How is this suiting my pleasures? And why are you arguing about one sentence i made?
If it means that much to you i’ll change the post. But i still feel that this person needs to be aware of some of the potential risks of xbox live.
It’s not your place to tell a mother how to parent her child. She is obviously aware of the issues and is savvy enough to find this place to ask questions about an online game. I highly doubt she’s completely ignorant of the internet as a whole.
Now, unless you want to continue to contribute to the OP, which has been answered already, I suggest this conversation end now.
@OP: Bungie does not control Halo anymore. All control of the systems are at 343i. If your son talked to people claiming to be Bungie employees whom were issuing this ultimatum, they are lying.
/thread
Thats the way it works sadly. I was a high rank and I lost all my credits, armor, and rank when I was also kinds angry. Its just the way the game works.
> Edited by Moderator - Please refrain from making nonconstructive posts.
>
>
> *Original post. Click at your own discretion.
> First off your 10 year old son shouldn’t be playing an M-Rated game to begin with. Those are rules not suggestions.
No, the game rating is a suggestion and a warning for parents. If his or her parents bought the game for them, then chances are that they are okay with them playing it, because of that rating. If the rating wasn’t there, the parent wouldn’t know what they are buying their child.
Don’t most video games say gameplay changes online? It’s an M rated game yes but that’s based off of the campaign isn’t it?
> I am asking those who may know this: My son is 10 years old and is playing XBOX LIVE and Halo Reach. He loves it and I think it is good to learn about group behaviors. Today, he was upset because he was told (he says by Bungee) that he needs to generate more points or he will be banned. He bought a used console and was high ranking and then when he joined LIVE he had to start his rank all over. I don’t know what his rank is but it is really good in the 3 weeks he has been in LIVE. I know some of the conversations with older kids to be rude and mean. But my son handles it with humor. I don’t understand why anyone would be banned for points. He is DressierBoat5. He doesn’t know I am inquiring and would be devastated to know I am in his “business”. But as a mom, I keep track of his video playing. Thanks
I think what they may be referring to is the AFK banning, which can be given out to new or “bad” players that don’t get kills during a game. Looking at his history he really shouldn’t have an issue though. His kill count per game is usually above 0. He had 2 games of infection with 0 kills, but that shouldn’t have affected him. If for some reason he does recieve a credit ban for it, the first time usually lasts for 24-48 hours (just a FYI).
on a side note, where in the OP was the game rating brought up? I don’t understand how some of these people responding feel they have any right to tell someone that their child shouldn’t play a game. Let’s not pretend everyone here didn’t play a game rated M before they were 17. I remember playing the original GTA before I was 17, running over cops, pedestrians, whatever. What’s funny is obviously the OP is watching what her child is doing pretty carefully since she’s asking BEFORE something happened.
Say’s right on the case 17+ he is 10 he shouldn’t be playing it.
> Say’s right on the case 17+ he is 10 he shouldn’t be playing it.
Once again, that is a suggestion and a warning for the parent. She is fine with her child playing, you have no right to tell her that she shouldn’t allow him/her to play it.
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> That was rude and uncalled for. In the future, don’t say anything. Thanks.
not sure how it’s rude. more truthful than anything. Little kids don’t belong in rated M games. Reason why the box says 17 - 18+
man ppl here can’t take anything without getting mad over it.
Okay, I just went to ESRB’s website and the very first thing is it says is
> Rating Symbols offer guidance about age-appropriateness.
Here is more on it
> Retailer Support of Ratings
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> Although <mark>it does not have the legal authority to implement or enforce retailer sales policies with respect to video games</mark>, the ESRB works closely with retailers to: a) provide in-store signage which explains the rating system; b) support their store policies pertaining to the sale or rental of Mature-rated games to minors; and c) help educate and train store associates and employees with regard to the rating system. For more information about the ESRB retail partnership program and the ESRB Retail Council (ERC)
It is a recommendation, not an enforcement!
> Okay, I just went to ESRB’s website and the very first thing is it says is
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>
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> > Rating Symbols offer guidance about age-appropriateness.
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> Here is more on it
>
>
>
> > Retailer Support of Ratings
> >
> > Although <mark>it does not have the legal authority to implement or enforce retailer sales policies with respect to video games</mark>, the ESRB works closely with retailers to: a) provide in-store signage which explains the rating system; b) support their store policies pertaining to the sale or rental of Mature-rated games to minors; and c) help educate and train store associates and employees with regard to the rating system. For more information about the ESRB retail partnership program and the ESRB Retail Council (ERC)
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> It is a recommendation, not an enforcement!
So, basically what you’re saying then, is there is absolutely NO point in putting a rating on the box? No point in rating anything if people are just going to ignore it. At this rate, a 7 year old can go into the adult section of a video store because his/her folks say it’s ok. I see 5 year olds in gory, blood and guts, R rated movies. There has to be a line people. If parents take the responsibility for their children and know what they are getting into, then when something goes wrong, they have no one but themselves to blame, right.