In an interview with OXM, Xbox boss Don Mattrick has claimed that he personally invented the concept of Avatars. In 1991.

The section from the chat in full:

DM: I’m claiming to have invented avatars! I did 4D Sports Boxing! Do you know what 4D Boxing was? Hey, you should be writing this! That was me.

We know what 4D Sports Boxing was. It was published by Infogrames, wasn’t it?

DM: Accolade was the first to publish it, and Infogrames published it in Europe. But write this down! “Don Mattrick invented avatars for the industry.”

Does creating 4D Sports Boxing really count as “inventing avatars”, Don?

DM: C’mon! It’s human, it’s in 3D, it has a face… it was genuinely the first time there was something human-shaped in 3D! Look it up!

Got it here see what you think.

http://www.videogaming247.com/

 

 

 

i'm pretty sure al gore invented avatars.

aww you beat me to it...

 aww you both beat me....

Don Mattrick is a tool (along with Former Vice President Al Gore)

I'm not sure why it is such a big deal that they invented it.

One thing I can say is this: If they were made back in 1991 then why did it take so long to make them.

This is all PR. He is trying to bring doubt in buyers mind and buy his product over the competition. However, it probably wont work since those who are using it (the "non-gamers") won't hear it and probably won't care.

I guess Second Life copied him..

Invention establishes , innovation makes great.

I loved 4D-Boxing, that was a fantastic game. Though, seriously, that doesn't count as avatars. There were no way you could possibly make anything that closely resembled any human being, except one really ugly

At first I was :"WTF?"

The I was: "So very true"

So is Barack Obama...