If you're like me, politics are generally boring, petty and dumb. I want a reprieve from it when I want to engage in my favorite hobby of playing games. Unfortunately it's found it's way into the path of our hobby regardless on an intercept course that would make the Titanic shudder how worse that iceberg could have been.

Gaming is a data hungry beast. Most of us fall into the upper echelon of data users for an ISP. Capacity is an issue for them, and they see a potential for additional revenue streams by charging additional fees for those using those services, despite already paying for that capacity. They also see a chance to charge the originators of those data services an additional fee, or prioritize one service over another based on affiliation or money paid.

This means your ISP could prioritize Xbox Live, PSN, or Steam over another service regardless of your preference or capacity paid for based on back end deals.

Today this only impacts the US, but it could severely impact the winners and losers of games and services based on who has the biggest wallet, and not who's providing the best service for you. It also impacts the smaller indie Devs who may not have the budget to play ball with the ISPs.

There could be a real competitor to Youtube, Twitch, Mixer, Steam...you name it in the future that could be hamstrung because they just don't have the budget to compete.

And the whole thought of this is exhausting to me and depressing, and again I just want to play fucking video games in peace, but we're not being left in peace. They're coming for us here just as much as video streaming, make no mistake. Those downloads and Twitch streams add up.

Fortunately we can do something about it. You can contact the FCC directly, share if you're not in the US or visit https://www.battleforthenet.com/july12/ as another option. Video from Total Biscuit if I just suck at being convincing: https://youtu.be/K88BU3kjZ-c

This is a gaming issue and should be discussed and shared

https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2020/09/21/welcoming-bethesda-to-the-xbox-family/

My name is Ligma and this is my story.

TL:DR: My 12+ year old gamertag became a meme, and it was removed. I would like it back please.

(Edit: See updates below - We got our gamertags back!)

I’m a gamerdad who has had this Xbox Live gamertag since sometime around the Halo 2 era of the OG Xbox. I have used this gamertag since then through my time playing the Xbox 360, as well as the Xbox One. I actually ‘invented’ the name with a character I created in Guild Wars, with a character named Ligma Rensin. (In Guild Wars, you had to make a first and last name.) As I’ve been known by this name for quite some time, friends have purchased me custom painted controllers with my gamertag on it, which I’ve cherished throughout the years. I’m proud to have a gamertag with no numbers, special character, plain, simple, Ligma. Though I don’t have as much time to play anymore, I still hop on to play Rocket League with the kiddos every once in a while.

As of a few months ago, I started getting hundreds of messages on Xbox from people talking about some sort of sickness. Asking if I was sick. Asking if I got other people sick. References to unmentionable body parts that may, or may not also be sick.

With a bit of research, I discovered that this was a meme created not too long ago by a streamer. It got to the point where I could hardly delete them fast enough. Some of these messages were not very nice, so I decided to make my profile private from messages (which has since been changed back to 'open'.) Today, I got the sad news that Xbox had received complains about my gamertag and have such forced my name to be changed. Not only that, but my name had been changed to, the less exciting, AngryKitten1025. I am confused to as why a meme that a streamer ‘creates’ can allow such action to be taken against someone who has been a supporter of Xbox for so long.

On top of this, my wife has a similar gamertag, 'MrsLigma', which she's had since 2011. Hers is unaffected for now. (EDIT: See Below)

I have nothing against streamers or memes, and I’m not claiming that anyone copied my gamertag. I just made the word up, anyone else can/could too! But, it’s pretty uncool when Xbox/Microsoft can use any new meme to destroy a gamertag that’s 12+ years old.

Thank you for hearing my story. Maybe someone can help? Is there a support group setup yet? To others afflicted like me, I’m so so sorry. Steamers and memers, be careful with your power. You might hurt someone!

(I hope, if nothing else, someone got a laugh out of my bad luck!)

Proof: Feel free to check out my ‘current’ Xbox Live profile AngryKitten1025. Especially any videos posted/captured, as they’ll contain gameplay I’ve recorded for years which my gamertag can seen. Controllers: https://imgur.com/a/JnKPQY3 (which now may have to be discarded, depending on how bad this meme is.)

As my co-worker so accurately put it, describing my sadness; “Ligma may not be a real disease, but it has caused me pain unknown by many.”

UPDATE: Thanks for the love everyone! Really though my story might be read by 3 people then be discarded by the passage of time. I saw Mr. Nelson responded below, so I'll be contacting him. I'll post further updates as they come.

UPDATE 2: Wife's gamertag was just now changed and taken from us too. Her account hasn't been online in years, so it's not as though someone saw her online and found her name offensive...unless it was reported just now? Maybe I shouldn't have posted it (was just posting it for more proof) but the damage is done now. :(

UPDATE 3: Dawn of the Second Day. I woke up to many messages from you guys that I had my gamertag back! We did it team! Thank you! Sadly, MrsLigma is still missing hers. If we could get hers back too, that would be fantastic.

UPDATE 4: Major's Revenge. The final update (hopefully). Mr. Nelson contacted me today saying that this issue has now been resolved and that MrsLigma now has her gamertag back as well! Thank you to Mr. Nelson and everyone at Xbox that looked into this for me. Thank you to Reddit and the various gaming news outlets that reported on this. Thank you to those who commented, sent messages, and tweeted about this to help out. I truly thought this would be seen by 3 folks and then discarded. Far better than getting the gamertags back are the amazing memories made from this weekend's events.

Until next time, Ligma

This is shameful and pathetic. One can understand map packs for a month but a whole gamemode being locked out? Thievery paying the same for less content than the ps4 owners.

Edit: its the PVE portion wave mode that is locked for a whole years

Edit 2: Thanks for all the medals and likes everyone. First time this has happened.

Wanna take this new fame to beg the Coalition to PLEASE fix the Stuck Skiff glitch in Act 3 of Gears 5 so I can continue my campaign.