Microsoft has filed a patent application for awarding console-like achievements to TV viewers.
"Television viewing tends to be a passive experience for a viewer, without many opportunities for the viewer to engage or have interactive experiences with the presented content," the patent filing reads. "To increase interactive viewing and encourage a user to watch one or more particular items of video content, awards and achievements may be tied to those items of video content."
The filing doesn’t try to disguise the fact that this TV Achievements system is designed specifically to increase ad revenue by psychologically tricking people to watch shows they wouldn’t normally view. "By tying the awards and achievements to particular items of video or advertising content, viewers may be encouraged to increase their viewership of the content," the patent explains clearly. "Thus increasing advertising opportunities."
According to the patent filing, TV Achievements can be awarded for watching single events such as the Super Bowl or a specific number of shows or even an entire series. Achievements can also be earned by performing specific Kinect actions while watching specific content. Additionally, TV Achievements can be linked to rewards ranging from new avatar items, in-game items or even physical prizes.
Microsoft’s next-gen Xbox One console comes with a Kinect 2 sensor that is designed to be always on and always connected to its owner’s TV.