Drinking the XBox 360 Kool-aid  -  Dec 19th, 2007 3:09pm

Without getting into my own conflicted feelings about Microsoft, let me get this over with and simply say that I finally caved in and bought a 360.  I'm not proud of it, but I will wear my ribbons of shame like medals won in playground warfare as it is my burden for this joy.

It takes more than a little funding to buy into this club.  I couldn't believe that I was in for over $600 and change before I even played my first game.  The wifi adapter was a 100 on its own!  I can finally understand however what people enjoy so much about this thing.  The games are good - theres no mistaking that.  I plunked down for the Orange Box, have borrowed Project Gotham, and was given a copy of Call Of Duty 4 as an early Christmas Present.  These are all excellent games in their own right and I will probably write up something on the Orange Box separately as its such an amazing deal.  What really made me a junkie though is XBox Live and the multiplayer component to these games.

I've heard that in ancient times people used to pack up their wagons and head to these social places called arcades.  Fortunately consoles destroyed these establishments and drove gaming into the joyously lonely scene so often made fun of in our culture today.  Sure there were social abnormalities - you could invite a friend or two over and get numb-thumb playing SF2 or get a home loan and bust out Crystal Chronicals for the GameCube, but none of these drugs compare to the heroin that is Team Fortress 2 or COD4.  Shiny, fast, and coated with achievement sprinkles these games tap into some ancient portion of my brain and squeeze adrenaline and morphine into my spine, and I share this trip with my friends "HappyColor" who's a brother Philosophy student in Canada or "Access" a tough little kid from LA or any number of other people.  When I play these people are all "there" and its enormously fun.  The whole XBox Live thing has finally returned gaming to its social roots.  Sorta...

For the most part, outside of the games, I don't really get to know these people and they are "friends" because I've marked them as such.  It feels like I went to the store with a pen writing "MINE" on things things but not really being able to buy them.  Its amazing while your playing but a little empty when its over as the people don't quite seem real.  Thats not to say I don't see some hope.  I spent several hours playing one night almost as an excuse to "philosophise" with Happy and I have friends here at work that I can game with.  I've even attended a Halo party complete with a dinner break at AM/PM (people are just wrong).  So I guess the truth is that this is just another social scene and one with a unique set of rules and challenges.  But damn is it a fun one!

Maybe some day I'll meet these people or maybe some day my family and friends will all join in some big game of XYZ 16 Extreme!  Till then I'll drink the kool-aid while its cold and revel in the joyous glow of this humming machine (did I mention its really freaking loud).  So if you want to catch me on Live, look for a user named "root" and maybe we can be "friends".