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Online gaming on consoles has become one of the biggest aspects of the video game world today. It started in the previous generation, but it has been heading toward its high point in this one. For Sony and Microsoft’s consoles, the online component has been integrated into the workings of the system and the games.  You’re always connected, always seeing new things, always able to reach your friends, send messages, and more. Then, you can un-pause the game and keep playing. This is the sort of online platform that gamers have asked for, and this is what we now have. But, like everything in life, there are always some downsides.

 

Xbox Live, Microsoft’s online service, has been considered the best online platform of the big three ever since it launched almost ten years ago. At a price of $60 a year (previously $50), gamers are offered loads of features. They are able to join party chats, do video sessions with Kinect, stream content from Netflix, Youtube, Hulu and Sky Go. They can use social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. They can use last.fm, Zune Music, ESPN, and Halo Waypoint. That’s not even all of it, but you get the idea. Those are all features available to Xbox Live Gold members, the paid membership of Xbox Live. Oh, and I forgot the most important one: Online play.

 

With all those features, it comes as a bit of a surprise that online play is also one that gamers pay for. After all, it’s free on the Playstation Network, and always has been. The same can be said for PC gaming and the Wii. So, what gives?

 

When Xbox Live first launched, it was nothing but an online gaming service. It did not have the catalog of features that it has today, and it was still a $50 service. Today, it is an online platform with something for just about everyone. It is no longer restricted to games. In many ways, it has revolutionized the way gamers experience online. It has also hindered it. I’m not going to get technical here. I’m not going to start listing off all the reasons why this service does cost money. I’m not going to get into bandwidth, servers, or even the power bill. I’m going to focus on the things Xbox Live provides us. If you have to ask if all of these things are enough to justify the subscription fee, the answer would be “Yes, absolutely”. If you’re going to ask if all these features are worth the fee, then the answer would be no.

 

It’s a simple matter of what we, as gamers, actually want. I am pleased to see Microsoft offer so many services, but do we use them all? Most likely not. Personally, I only use Xbox Live for gaming. I’ve only been on Facebook with it once, just to try it out. I’ve only used a free trial of Netflix just for the sake of experiencing Netflix. I don’t believe I’ve touched much of anything else. Don’t get me wrong, all these things that are offered with a gold membership are great things for many people, but it is doubtful that many people find the use of all of these things. This is why, as a gamer who enjoys playing online, I feel rather taken advantage of. Many like myself have been paying since the beginning, when XBL was nothing but a gaming service. Today, we’re still paying customers, and many gamers don’t use XBL for much more than what it started out as: a gaming service. That’s not to say these features are completely useless. I’m sure a large portion of the XBL community uses at least a piece of what is offered outside of the gaming related portions. I mean to say that for those of us who really have no use for such things might feel like they’re paying for something they do not want or need.

 

Xbox Live is ever growing, and Microsoft will continue to add new things to it. With the recent price raise, its not hard to see that it could always happen again. Many gamers ask for a membership tier that just restricts them to the online gaming portion, but that may not ever happen. It’s the most popular part of Xbox Live, and its what brings the money in for the service. Either way, hopefully Microsoft can find better ways to let their members know that the price they are paying is one worth paying for. That will take a lot more features about the gaming experience rather than the non gaming experience.