...until Xbox Live came along
As a PC gamer, I'd become too heavily involved for my own good. So much so, that I ran my very own gaming clan and proudly won a number of FPS tournaments - yes, very geeky, I know.
Yet, despite my mild addiction to PC gaming, Microsoft managed to catch my eye with the Xbox 360. The console itself wasn't the draw, graphics are always one step ahead on the PC and you can't play an FPS without a keyboard and mouse, right?
What appealed to me was Microsoft's marketing of Xbox Live. Labelled as the ultimate online gaming experience, Xbox Live promised to connect gamers the world over, make it easy to play online, and bring PC-like multiplayer to the couch. Quite a lot to ask, but being a fan of all things multiplayer, I thought I'd give it a go.
In December 2005, I joined Xbox Live and my PC gaming days literally came to an abrupt halt.
With a bunch of friends already registered on the service, I added them to my friends list - a process as easy as adding friends to your instant messenger - and Microsoft's vision of a "connected" experience immediately became noticeable.
With a loaded friends list, the console pops up a little notification to let you know when friends are online. Press the guide button and you can send them messages or invite them to play games. Sounds trivial, and PCs were able to do likewise for quite some time. Nonetheless, consoles had never been this easy or user friendly and I was more than pleasantly surprised.
I've always been something of a racing-game fan, and though it's my favourite genre, there weren't a whole lot of good online racing games available. Playing Project Gotham Racing 3 on Xbox Live opened up a whole new world. Inviting friends to join a race you had never been so easy, and I soon found myself addicted. Voice chat, the ability to drop in and out, and hundreds of players. It had it all.
