Microsoft brands 11 year-old autistic 360 player a "cheater"

The American media is reporting that Julius Jackson, an autistic 11 year-old 360 fan from Seattle, has been branded a "cheater" by Microsoft and had his 1,500 cheevos stripped from his Live account.

According to Q13FoxNews, Jackson woke up one day recently to find his Achievements gone and a "cheater" label on his account.

His mother got in touch with Microsoft to find out what was going on, to be told via email that the "cheater" designation is handed out to people who acquire Achievements through external means: by hacking, basically.

"The only actions that we take are to correct the player’s current Gamerscore, and to label the player as a 'cheater,'" the firm said.

"This label can be observed on Xbox.com and through the player’s view of their Gamercard on a console or computer that is connected to Xbox LIVE. The player can still legitimately gain future achievements. The player’s experience does not change in any other way."

The boy's mother told Fox that Xbox Live is a key part of Julius's life and his ability to interact with other people and express himself outside of his home and school.

Stephen Toulouse, Microsoft's Director of Police and Enforcement said, "The account Zombie Kill67 transferred from the Xbox it is normally seen on, to an Xbox in another city.

The account earned several Achievements for Halo 3 that can only be done online and in succession. It was clear they were unlocked out of order and offline.

"Earning successive online achievements out of order and offline is an impossible feat, not due to skill, but due to the technology of the system. It can only be done by modifying the account and faking the Achievements."

Julias's mother, Jennifer Zdenek, said her son did give his information to a fellow gamer online so he could get some Recon Armor.

Zdenek says, "My son did give his Gamertag. 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."

Thanks, Gamefront.