Gamertags

Choosing your Gamertag is one of the first things you'll do as you set up your Xbox Live account. This is your online identity that you'll be using when you play every game on Xbox Live. In your haste to begin wreaking havoc against all who play against you, it may be tempting to just pick something, anything, so you can start gaming… but be warned, once you've chosen your Gamertag, it's yours forevermore - so pick carefully!

Helpful pointers

If you support a certain football team and don't feel like putting up with constant banter from rival team supporters, try to avoid a name that identifies you - ArsenalFan, Ajax4Ever, JuventusBoy etc. On the other hand, this might be exactly what you're after, in which case fly your team colours with pride and prepare for the backlash from rival followers…

Think about pronunciation. As in, "Hey, I'd like to team up with xo8ulekr9z, but how the hell do you say his name?" One of the best things about Xbox Live is talking to your team-mates and taunting your opponents. If you pick a Gamertag that's impossible to say, everyone will just end up calling you "mate" (or worse).

If you're still having trouble thinking up a suitable Gamertag, check out what other gamers are calling themselves…StinkyBob, Covert Badger, Buzz Lightbeer, MingingBint, Mr Fantazmo, PrivateParts, Lord Cheese, ILikeMonkeys - (As we said, pick carefully…)

Link your Gamertag

Link your Gamertag now!
Why would you want to do that? We’re glad you asked. Here are thefour best reasons to link your Gamertag:

It doesn’t suck.
All right, the process of linking probably isn’t going to end up on the highlight reel of your all-time greatest moments. But it’s pretty painless and should be smooth as butter if you have the info you need in front of you when you start. You’ll need the same information that you used to sign up for your Xbox Live account: “real” name, ZIP code, phone number, and the last four digits of your credit card number. You can get all this from the Xbox Dashboard if you can’t remember it. We’re not asking for any new information, just verifying that you are who you say you are-otherwise, everyone might claim to be two-time tourney champ hockeystud29!

XSN Sports, baby!
You need to be linked if you want to join or create leagues and tournaments. XSN Sports is revolutionizing sports video games, and you definitely want to be along for the ride. Other upcoming games (sports and others) will also feature leagues and tourneys on their own Web sites, and you’ll need to authenticate your Gamertag in the same way.

Scoreboards rule!
Any joker with access to the Internet can check out the top 100 scorers for a particular game on the xbox.com/live site. But only those with linked ‘tags have the ability to see just their scores, check the standing of a Friend or arch rival, search for the 50 gamers above and 50 below them on the leaderboards, and more.

Keep your Friends close…
Let’s not kid ourselves, the reason online gaming kicks so much ass is that you get to play against real people instead of AI. But you already know that. What rocks about the new xbox.com/live site is that-if you’ve linked your Gamertag-you’re able to see your Friends List right there on your PC. You’ll get all the same information you’d get in the Xbox Dashboard: which Friends are online, what games they’re playing. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your gaming buddies.

So what are you waiting for? Link your Gamertag now!