…you can’t excrete bodily fluids. Now that the Xbox 360 Avatars will be able to appear as characters in forthcoming games, much like Nintendo’s Mii caricatures in Wii games, Microsoft has laid some ground rules as to their use. As a whole, the 11 rules prevent your 360 Avatar from engaging in any questionable behavior: drug use, graphic violence, and lewd or sexual behavior are all banned. These restrictions make sense, considering that most of the games which will utilize playable avatars will likely be casual, family-friendly fare.

Moreover, players are expressly prohibited from interacting with their Avatars as if they were separate characters, nor are Avatars allowed to talk in their own voice. Such a rule stands in stark contrast to the Wii’s customizable characters, which can be interacted with in a number of different ways, both at the Wii Home screen and within a number of Wii games as well. Regardless, the existence of these guidelines should stir little controversy — it’s doubtful that anyone was clamoring for an ability to spew bodily fluids in the middle of Hasbro Family Game Night.