Xbox One users to begin receiving warnings for bad behavior online

Microsoft is tweaking the reputation system on Xbox One this week, introducing notifications for players who are being penalized for "disruptive" or "abusive" behavior on Xbox Live, the company announced today.

All Xbox One users have a reputation on a spectrum from "Good" to "Needs Work" to "Avoid Me," with the rating based on whether other players have reported them for bad behavior. The more time someone spends on Xbox Live without being reported, the higher their reputation will climb.

But players who do get reported by the community will start to receive notifications this week, in an effort to warn them about their ratings decline to "Needs Work" and encourage them to stop acting like jerks online. If they don't turn it around, further complaints about their behavior will drop their reputation into the "Avoid Me" zone, where their history of disruptive behavior will have a material effect on their gaming experience: Matchmaking will find fewer pairings for them, and eventually, MIcrosoft may take away privileges such as the ability to run Twitch livestreams.

Microsoft noted that the reputation system takes the long view; players won't be penalized just because of some negative reports over a few weeks. And according to the company, the system accounts for false reports from players, such as ones from sore losers or people looking to grief other individuals.

During the 2014 Game Developers Conference last week, Microsoft also laid out its future plans for the reputation system on Xbox One. Instead of just penalizing bad behavior, the company is looking to incentivize good behavior by providing rewards to players who contribute to the Xbox Live community in a positive way. However, Microsoft hasn't yet figured out what those rewards might be.