Usually when someone hinks of the word Avatar, they think of the Nintendo Miis. Granted, the word is pretty ambiguous and can be related to any human-formed videogame character. One thing is for sure though, when Microsoft debuted the Avatar system of the New Xbox Experience, many people immediately drew a connection to Nintendo’s Miis. Well you know what? Screw that, because Microsoft’s Don Mattrick invented them. According to Mattrick, he gave the world the avatar eons before Nintendo. In an interview with Official Xbox Magazine, Mattrick finally came out in the open to assert his claim.

“I’m claiming to have invented avatars! I did 4D Sports Boxing! Do you know what 4D Boxing was? Hey, you should be writing this! That was me,” he said. Mattrick goes on further, explaining that “Accolade was the first to publish it, and Infogrames published it in Europe. But write this down! ‘Don Mattrick invented avatars for the industry.’”

Some pretty bold claims right there, but if I invented something that held the same importance as sliced bread, I would be in every person’s face to tell them of it. Granted, his quote seems rather sarcastic and he is probably poking fun at the whole “who created the Avatar” concept, but asked to defend his claim further, Mattrick probably gives out the most comical line I have heard this week.

“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!”