With the Xbox One’s new Reputation System, Microsoft aims to “match you with other gamers you’ll enjoy, and create the best gaming community online”.

Those were the words of Xbox Live program manager Micheal Dunn who detailed the console’s new reputation algorithms in a recent news update. He says that, with the Xbox One, Microsoft “redesigned the Xbox Live community-powered reputation system from Xbox 360 to help better inform players about their behavior in the community.”

“The algorithm looks to identify players that are repeatedly disruptive across the community on Xbox Live,” he continued. “The vast majority of players do not regularly receive feedback from other players and, thus, will stay at the “Good Player” reputation level.”

Here’s a breakdown of the different levels of Reputation:

• “Good Players” – The majority of gamers will fall into this level. As we’ve said before, we have plans to introduce rewards for good behavior and look forward to sharing more in the future!
• Warnings for “Needs Work” – Beginning this month, some players will start receiving reputation warnings as their reputations drop due to feedback from the community. The purpose of these communications is to remind players about their effect on the community and encourage them to have more positive interactions. These warnings are based on community feedback collected since Xbox One launched.
• Penalties for “Avoid Me” – If players do not heed warnings and continue to have a negative impact on other players and the Xbox Live community, they will begin to experience penalties. For example, people with an “Avoid Me” rating will have reduced matchmaking pairings and may be unable to use certain privileges such as Twitch broadcasting.

Dunn says that the algorithm was designed to avoid penalizing players for bad reports over a few weeks of play. It also takes into consideration that some reports are false and are only issued by players through spite or for the sake of griefing. So, by the sounds of it, you won’t have to worry if you don’t cause any trouble.

In addition to the system Dunn detailed above, recent reports have indicated that Microsoft is also looking into ways to reward players for good behavior, rather than simply punishing users for bad behavior. According to Microsoft partner and development lead Frank Savage, these features will be implemented in an upcoming Xbox One system update.

What do you think of the Xbox One’s reputation system? Is it effective?