Microsoft Hands Out Stiff Punishment for Gears of War Hackers

Hackers beware: Microsoft has begun deleting the Gamerscores of those found to be hacking Gears of War 2.

"As part of our regular safety monitoring we have pinpointed a group of players who have unlocked specific Gears of War 2 Achievements through an unauthorized hack," writes Xbox spokesman Major Nelson in a recent blog post.

"Deliberate cheats like these are in direct violation of the Xbox Live Terms of Use and will not be tolerated. As I post this, we've begun taking steps to reset the Gamerscores of the offending players."

The community - or at least those blog commenters appearing on Major Nelson's blog - seemingly supports the move, though I can only imagine the anger of the group of hackers.

I envision a group of teens stomping angrily around their friends' basement, stoned out of their minds on Mountain Dew and Cadbury Creme Eggs, shouting the three or four obscenities they heard on Xbox Live the night before.

Then one of their mothers comes down, asks if the boys would like some Rice Krispie Treats and, as they solemnly wipe away their tears, one of the nefarious hackers mumbles, "thanks mom. Could we have some Sunny D, too?"