• “Mind equals blown”

    ~Kyle, WA

    Earlier this year, we asked Microsoft Rewards members to share their favorite Microsoft story.

    Over 125,000 members shared their stories, and here are some of the best. Your stories helped inspire us to build bigger and better experiences for our fans. Thanks a lot!

  • "Minecraft! Need I say more? As parents of two elementary age girls who love to play a new survival game against us old folks. We create 1st challenges: hit bedrock, get iron, get gold, get diamond, find a village, find the temple, get a pet (dog, because the ocelots are too difficult) and my favorite, find the mob spanner and defeat it. We love this bonding time game."

    Tammy, AL

    "I met my husband while playing Burnout Revenge on the Xbox 360 9 years ago. He lived in Scotland and I lived in New Mexico, USA. We would spend all day together over chat sessions and fell in love. After I went out to celebrate Christmas with him in 2007, he planned to come to the USA the next year. He never left. We have been so happy and all due to a video game and Xbox Live"

    Elena, NM

    "I've been a gamer since I was a kid. I didn't adopt the Xbox One early, and I regret that I didn't quite often. Since I purchased the Xbox One, I have become a cord cutter, enjoyed dozens of games with games with Gold, and been able to store over 3 terabytes of games and apps. The Xbox One changed my media world; without it, I never would have experienced this new world."

    Michael, MI

    "Over the past year, I have gotten hooked on Xbox. I watched my grandsons playing, and given that the youngest was 3 when he started, and how he quickly learned how to use the controller without looking down at it, really inspired me. Both of them urged me to play, but the urging quickly turned into impatience with me because I had trouble learning what all of the buttons do. It didn't take me too long to learn, and I got hooked on 'Marvel Super Heroes' most often most playing alone until I beat the game. I am now playing 'Blazing Angels: Secret Missions of WWII'. It's a good game, but the Xbox console is what really makes it 'POP'. Fantastic graphics, sound, etc. make it very satisfying to complete a mission and keep playing. I'm a 66-year-old grandfather who loves this Xbox!!"

    Tim, LA

    "My brother & I are both veterans and in Christmas of 08, he surprised me with an Xbox 360 with military shooters. We were bitten by the gaming bug. A few years later, we picked up Gears of War 3, along with some other former military friends. We became so close through Xbox, that my Xbox friends attended my wedding in 2015. And we are still close friends to this day!"

    John, PA

    "I have been a gamer since I was a little kid and some of the best times I have had is when playing a Xbox. I really bonded with my friends and even my wife playing HALO games. It is a good stress relief and helps me escape from reality when I need a break. I would always recommend Xbox to all my friends and family. Thank you so much for bringing so much joy into my life."

    Alexander, AL

    "My family and I use Xbox every single day. We use it to play games, watch Netflix and Hulu and even to listen to music. My favorite game to play is pinball. My 2 sons (10 and 20 years of age) play many types of games though. We love how we can download games onto our accounts. So easy and convenient. Plus we don't have to worry about the disks getting ruined. (Big Smile)"

    Heather, OR

    "One of my biggest Christmas memories as a child was the year the original Xbox came out. I have four siblings, and most of us were gamers in some capacity. Prior to the Xbox, my siblings and I, along with the neighbor kids at times, would squish together around a computer keyboard to play our computer games together. However, that year, we were completely taken by surprise when our parents bought us our first gaming console for Christmas – the original Xbox. We each had our own controller, and could actually play games together without being on top of each other. We played Halo endlessly – from the story mode in every difficulty setting, to exploring every crevice of each multiplayer map. We shared a lot of childhood memories together because of the original Xbox. Thank you, Microsoft!"

    Nekoda, CA