How Microsoft Pwned My Gamertag
Posted by Daniel on Friday, July 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm under Computer, Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Microsoft, Microsoft
For those of you who may know me on Xbox Live or have played with me in the past, you’ll know that I pretty much had the greatest gamertag ever. I was damn proud of my gamertag as it had just the right amount of dirty humor to it. When I’d tell anyone my gamertag, a smile would immediately come to their face, and often a laugh and/or chuckle.
BenDoverx was more than a gamertag to me. It was a way to let people know that I don’t take myself serious at all, and I can even take the occasional joke. You wouldn’t believe how many times I heard people jokingly say, “Heh heh… BenDover…I just bent you over!” whenever they would kill me in Halo. I pretty much heard it so much that it really didn’t phase me anymore. I would simply reply with a “Really? I swear, I’ve never heard that before. You’re completely original.”
Last night, the name BenDoverx finally made it into Microsoft’s crosshairs….
As you see from the picture above, I finally had to give up my gamertag after having it for 2 years. I don’t know if my name was reported by someone I played online or, since I deal with the folks at Microsoft through this site, maybe they caught on to my name and I was forced to change it. Or, quite possibly, it was all a mere coincidence. The thing that’s probably the most annoying about having to change my name is I was going to meet a friend to play online. Instead of getting into a game, I had to sit there for 15-20 minutes to come up with a name I could use without getting in trouble again. I decided to go with a variation of my PSN ID. My new Xbox Live gamertag became ‘TheBeebsta’. Yea…very anticlimactic indeed. Going from BenDoverx to ‘TheBeebsta’ is pretty much like riding the craziest rollercoaster at the amusement park, and then having a seat on a bench.
Nevertheless, I’m paying homage today to my lost gamertag. BenDoverx was a name I was damn proud of, even though there have been times that I had to inform a pretty important contact of mine what my gamertag was so we could get a game going. A lot of them were cool with it and gave me the reaction I expected. But there were a couple who have yet to add me since my gamertag was “risque”.
Here’s to you BenDoverx… you will be missed.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I gotta take a seat on this here bench with my stupid ‘TheBeebsta’ gamertag.
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July 4th, 2008 at 3:38 pm
July 4th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Curse your censorship, Microsoft! Down with The Man!
July 4th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Thats why I like my name, It represents my play style in most games, AND it is socially acceptable. Yup, I spend most of my time dead, and my ragdolls always seem to dance around when shot. Legally I am a Retired Scottish Zombie.
Also, I blame Jack Thompson, bad parents, and the media.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Bendoverx you will be missed! R.I.P.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Oh noooooooooooooz. ;[
July 4th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
BenDover is only dirty if they think of it that way. Guess Microsoft is very very dirty.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Change it to BenDoverx1 or something like that
July 4th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Unbelieveable
Still at least they are hounding down all the serious offenders like you instead of wasting their time on all the homophobic racists.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
damn, your prudish microsoft!
i've been hearing ben dover jokes since i was 9(im now 22) and i've done nothing but laugh and chuckle at them.
so can someone please explain the logic of this…..?
anyone……?
no……?
oh well, it was worth a try.
R.I.P bendoverx.
July 4th, 2008 at 4:51 pm
Sorry you had to change your name. Your new gamertag is not bad at all!
I find it completely funny how they make you change such a non-offensive gamertag yet I can jump into just about any Halo or CoD4 lobby and within 5 minutes hear racist/offensive/hate filled language. We are talking language that would make a sailor blush and most of it is coming from kids who aren't even old enough to buy an M rated game.
I understand the need to police offensive gamertags but this is over-the-top.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Are hou really bitching about loosing ur faggot ass name? Who fucking cares? I lost mine about 5 times now, and they were all better than that gay ass shit you had.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
WOOO! Do I see an IP ban in the future.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
@Who cares: I didn't realize this was a competition on how many times someone can lose their gamertag. I guess you've just got a dirtier mind than I do.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:38 pm
I used to have the gamertag HairyArse too until MS banned it.
Bastards.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Yeah that might almost work
July 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
try "Mike Hawk" or something. maybe "Estee Dees"
July 4th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
How bout BenD0ver with a zero
July 4th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Would they say DenBover was inappropriate?
July 4th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Political Correctness FTL!
July 4th, 2008 at 7:18 pm
That's pretty petty if you ask me, it's hardly offensive in anyway and to be fair, not all that rude either.
July 4th, 2008 at 7:22 pm
haha, how about "Mike Hunt"?? I think that would be the greatest….
"hey Mike Hunt wanna go play some gears later?" lol
July 4th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
I've got a friend who's Hugh G. Wrection.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:29 pm
looks like microsoft bent you over…
July 4th, 2008 at 8:39 pm
Lame. Whining over a name. Get over it.
July 4th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
umopapisdnpuaq is one of my friends gamertags. If you can figure out the secret here then congrats. You just have to be sneaky so that unless you really look at it you cant tell its 'vulgar'.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:01 pm
@Prat: I did get over it. I created a new gamertag and I'm living with it. I just thought it'd be nice to share my experience with you all and see if anyone had any similar experiences.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Lol. XD Thats like….adhonis got banned from xbox live for having =======D as a his pm XD
July 4th, 2008 at 9:03 pm
@BlankVoid: That's pretty awesome. Thankfully, I have a laptop which can make reading that easy, but that'd be a great name to have on Live/PSN. Whoever thought of that is a genius!
July 4th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
Not to be a hater but i can't find the name "BenDoverx" the least funny. Anyway, it does really sucks. Playing with everyone with one name, appearing on the next session with another. This something like this happened to me on the migration from BF2 to BF2142. BF2 allowed three char nicks, but BF2142 didn't. I couldn't get my Vet Status, and no one on my casual servers recognized me.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
giles de mierda
July 4th, 2008 at 9:47 pm
I don't think it's cool that they police gamertags, but to be honest, that was a pretty lame one.
July 4th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Ben Dover? Geez, I think I first heard that when I was about 10. Honestly, I think they did you a favor…
July 4th, 2008 at 11:39 pm
My friend had ACanOfWupass for 4 years, and they took it away from him like 4 months ago
July 4th, 2008 at 11:40 pm
A Can Of Wupass sry
July 5th, 2008 at 3:36 am
It troubles me how importantly you see yourself Daniel.
July 5th, 2008 at 3:46 am
Is this guy really crying about BenDover ? Give me a break … " oh look I'm ben… dover .. I'm such a homo that I ben … dover for you on a regular basis . "
Get out of here !!!
July 5th, 2008 at 3:50 am
I can't believe N4G.com posted this B.S. about someone crying over a stupid , not original , gay at best , gamertag .
http://www.n4g.com/xbox360/News-165394.aspx
July 5th, 2008 at 5:07 am
I'd like to put it out there that I actually am with Daniel on this..um..issue. It sucks that your GT was changed..but at least you had some fun with it.
To all the spamming haters: Stop stealing my thunder.
July 5th, 2008 at 5:10 am
Also, Live is one of the few places in which I'm civil with my name and the way I act, because I'd really rather not get banned and have to start anew.
July 5th, 2008 at 5:11 am
Remember when I posted as God? That was classic..why didn't I screenshot that?
July 5th, 2008 at 6:51 am
There has to be a PROBLEM with you Daniel which caused the BAN..
i would get so pissed if that happens to me " full friends list and people already know you and the amount of gamerscore you kept saving for years " if thats all gone i'll hate MICROSOFT for life..
plus you look kinda cool not the TroubleMaker dude unlike others on XBOXLIVE everytime i play CoD4 i find one going BlaBlaBla Shiit over the players
XBOX LIVE IS FULL OF KIDZ AND HARRASEMENT WHY CAN'T MICROSOFT HANDLE THAT OTHER THAN BANNING PEOPLE WHO DID NOTHING BUT GOT REPORTED BY AN ASSHOLE
July 5th, 2008 at 7:30 am
Microsoft sucks ass! Sony wouldn't ban u for a childish name like that…
July 5th, 2008 at 10:25 am
All those calling his gamertag gay and stupid and telling him to stop crying and get over it, I hope just for argument's sake that yours gets banned as well just so you will know how it feels. He was just calling Microsoft out for the inane dumbasses they are for banning something as silly and innocent as BenDoverx.
Mine was banned as well, it was Biggustittus, and while it pissed me off I eventually got over it. He will too, so stop the hate for the love of gaming and get a laugh out of it.
July 5th, 2008 at 10:48 am
Yeah, I had to change my tag. It was Smakk Dealer. Apparently you can have all the pot references you want but throw in some heroine and all goes to shit. And it wasn't for drugs, it was…like…a smack in the face…err…yeah.
July 5th, 2008 at 11:38 am
You should have made it something more inconspicuous like diksy_rect.
July 5th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
*shrug*
Non-issue, i don't see how this is news.
If you paint a target on yourself don't be surprised if somebody decides to take a shot at you.
July 5th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I played with u once and it was classic you cursed me and my whole clan out ur effing amazing. ur a effing beast! R.I.P. Bendoverx
July 5th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
the bad thing is just think some of this bans they say from the community and i have to say most of people i hear on the Xbox community would glady report ur name just because u beat them in some game. i would hate to lose my name because it me and i came up with it. but hopefully that will never happen.
July 5th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
We need the Conan O'Brien Stamp "ASS" across this guy's forehead .
July 6th, 2008 at 5:15 am
Should of just put BenDover.
July 6th, 2008 at 11:16 am
Wow. To those who are bitching about how this is news - you must never have visited this BLOG before, otherwise they would know that it is a BLOG with news. I rarely fell compelled to comment in forums or on blogs because of tardism, but if you want the same tried and true biased dry bullshit go somewhere else, plain and simple. The regulars like me don't want you anyway.
July 6th, 2008 at 11:49 am
I do have to agree with one thing though, this is indeed a news blog and if you do not like the article, just move on to the next one.
Creative or fun Gamertags are just that - fun. Why some of you feel compelled to spew hatred towards Daniel is beyond me. Microsoft is getting way too PC for their own good, and personally I feel they could be using their "police" in a more constructive manner. At the same time, certain XBL users, on the other hand, should learn to act like human beings instead of mentally challenged primates.
XBL and the internet breed morons who beget morons so if you want to play on either you have to take the good with the bad I guess. Sorry about your Gamertag Daniel.
July 6th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
@Stephany (the one in blue)
I respectfully disagree with both this -really- being an issue and with you telling others to "move on", we have a right to post as well, and i believe most people who voiced themselves against this being news did it properly.
To be frank, this gametag isn't creative…as Hugh Jass (who actually -does- have a creative name)stated:
"Ben Dover? Geez, I think I first heard that when I was about 10. Honestly, I think they did you a favor…"
It's not witty nor is it orginal, Microsoft has the right and the ability to make -anybody- change their tag, while i've seen worse than "Ben Dover" i can still understand the reasoning behind it.
As i said before, make yourself a target…don't be shocked when somebody decides to take a shot at ya.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Sorry that you had to lose the name. I have a love for those type of gamertags, I have had a few myself. From Ophelia Heiney and Jenna Talia to Pat Maweenie for my husband. They were always temporary though I was afraid to get to attached to them for Microsoft to then come and make me change them.
July 6th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
So, what you are saying Davn is that since his Gamertag was not original nor witty to some or all, that he deserves to have it banned? Maybe I misunderstood you.
Oh, yeah, Hugh Jas/Phil Migrowen, or whatever he is calling himself this week is indeed witty and creative. We are constantly reminded of it around here.
July 7th, 2008 at 6:05 am
You could have changed it to BenXDover01 or something like that…
July 7th, 2008 at 8:27 am
@Daniel
Dude that totally sucks about your gamertag man. I hate to think that we have become so uptight in this country that we have absolutely no sense of humor at all.
Here's to all of you out there that have a singular whit as I do and keep on fighting the good fight.
@Stephany
You totally need to go online with your gamertag so we can play. Seriously.
Also to Stephany and anyone else at or around my age, 30, please take a look at this site: http://www.geezergamers.com/ I've been a member for quite a while and we have tons of fun. And we weed out the Timmies. Good times.
Go Marlins!!!!
July 7th, 2008 at 8:30 am
@Stephany (the one in blue again)
No…i think i may have worded it poorly, my fault
I was trying to point out that it's just not that big of a deal, i mean if his gametag was funny, orginal, or even mildly abrasive -THEN- i could understand the loss of it…if his gametag was, for example, StephBlue…then i could understand it actually being article worthy as StephBlue isn't offensive.
He calls his gametag "The greatest ever"…..hardly.
It's like walking around with your shoes untied then writing an article on how you tripped…it's inevitable, a complete non-issue….if you don't want to trip then tie your shoes…..if you don't want your gametag removed then be a bit less obvious, or (heaven forbid) find one that is in no way a target.
……..
Or i could be overthinking the situation…..i do that sometimes. 
July 8th, 2008 at 8:41 am
StephBlue…. I like that! LOL.
July 8th, 2008 at 8:59 am
What can i say, it just came to me
July 10th, 2008 at 7:55 pm
I got the Gamertag: WetBingoBango..
Wonder if they'll take that away.
Its not very obvious, more innuendo, but I do get alot of jokes
July 12th, 2008 at 12:57 am
can anyone help me my name got banned and fore some reason when that message appears i click it and it says i have to sing it to change my gamertag, but it wont let me sing it because i havnt changed it yet wtf is up with that.
July 13th, 2008 at 5:06 am
i always wanted to change my gamertag to Ivan Erection but i dont the M$ would be too happy…
July 13th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Im SusanoTengu on Xbox live. Microsoft cant find anything wrong with that can they! HA!
July 27th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
My gamertag was X Hugh Janus X, It's now Cavity Searcher, my days are numbered im sure