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! [We looked it up, and 4D Sports Boxing was developed by Don Mattrick’s company Distinctive Software in 1991. And as far as we can tell, it’s at least the first game to feature controllable humanoid figures in 3D. So we guess Don Mattrick did invent avatars for the industry! Ahem.] Well, you could be right. The 3D was really basic, though. Not that we’re insulting it… DM: It was a starting point! Come on, we were the first guys to do it! And hey, I worked at EA and helped pushed the concept with a few games you might have heard of – this one called The Sims – you ever hear of that? That had a few sort of 3D characters in it! Then a little one called Ultima Online, know that one? Erm, well done? Are you pushing for 4D Sports Boxing on Xbox Live Arcade? DM: I think you’ve brought up a good point! [At this point, Aaron Greenberg, director of product mana
