Xbox Undercover:

Xbox Rewards

I recently kidnapped Xbox® product manager Mo Lam to find out more about the Xbox Rewards program and the Old Spice Experience Challenge. Here's what I uncovered.

TriXie: The Xbox Rewards site launched a month ago. Are there any rewards left to be earned?

Mo: Yep. It's not too late to sign up … there are still plenty of rewards left.

TriXie: Good prizes?

Mo: Yep! All the level 3 prizes have been won, but if you boost your gamerscore by 1500 you can still win Contra and MS points. Plus, Old Spice will increase your experience level, so when the next Challenge comes around, you can shoot for the bigger rewards!

TriXie: And how long do they have to jack up that gamerscore?

Mo: The Challenge ends on April 22.

TriXie: So, what was the deal with the Xbox Rewards site? It was up, it was down … What happened there?

Mo: To be honest, when we launched the site we didn't anticipate the level of response we would get. Within an hour we had over 40,000 visitors storming the site and trying to register. The site just wasn't ready to handle that kind of volume. So, unfortunately, we had to take the site down to optimize it for the heavier load and then put it back up.

TriXie: The moral of that story is: Never underestimate a gamer's desire for schwag. So people were ticked off, but it looks like you took care of them.

Mo: Yeah, we definitely wanted to apologize to people who were unable to register, so that is why we extended the challenge by 10 days.

TriXie: So why did Old Spice want to be the first sponsor for Rewards?

Mo: Old Spice knows that experience is everything. Some gamers have loads of it, some gamers have some of it, and some gamers need to get it. Old Spice wanted to reward experienced gamers, and inspire gamers that don't have it to go out and get it.

TriXie: So here's one thing I think some people might be confused about: Registering for the Xbox Rewards program does not mean you are registered for the Old Spice Experience Challenge.

Mo: That's correct. Once you've registered for Rewards, you need to go a step further and register for the Old Spice Challenge if you want to be eligible for those great prizes.

TriXie: Let's walk 'em through it, Mo.

Mo: Okay first, go in to the Sign-Up screen.

Mo: Register for Rewards by clicking on the button in the lower left hand corner.

Mo: Go to the Challenges and Rewards section.

Mo: Go to the Old Spice Experience Challenge page.

Mo: Join the Challenge!

TriXie: Easy! Thanks Mo. And may I just say, you smell delightful. Is that Old Spice you're wearing?