The Stars of Xbox LIVE
Published November 5, 2007
Happy birthday, Xbox LIVE®! Ah, yes, I remember when you were born. I was there as you changed your name through the years. First, it was Xbox Live, then the de-italicized Xbox Live, and the now capitalized Xbox LIVE. It's so hard to keep track! I swear, if you ever change your name to Xb0x lIv3, someone in branding is getting a poke in the eye. But I digress.
Please, let's not change it to Xb0x lIv3.
I thought I'd use this opportunity to recognize the people involved in making Xbox LIVE what it is today. But first, a history lesson.
A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away
OK, so it was only six years ago, and right here in Redmond, but let's not get picky. Yes, six years ago, the original Xbox® was unleashed on an unsuspecting population. That big box we all came to love had an Ethernet port, but alas, no Xbox LIVE yet. For a year, we enjoyed local and System Link play. Then, in November of 2002, Xbox LIVE arrived, and gaming was never the same again.
Xbox LIVE (or Xbox Live as it was known then) was so successful that designers knew they had to integrate it more tightly with the next generation console. We knew that more and more people would be getting broadband in their homes, and that they wanted a place in a larger community. Profiles, achievements, gamerscore—it all came together in Xbox 360. It continues to evolve today: Xbox LIVE Vision, Messenger, and, of course Xbox LIVE Marketplace, which has become bigger than we'd ever imagined. And there's more to come.
Building the Foundation
I'll start off with the teams that are responsible for laying the framework on which Xbox LIVE rests. The program managers, engineers, developers, and testers on the console hardware, software, and Xbox LIVE teams all work really hard to make Xbox 360 integrate seamlessly with Xbox LIVE. They design, implement, and test features on the console and on the service. Console components, accessories, system software, and the Xbox LIVE software are all lovingly crafted by their capable hands.
Making It Go
Once you've built a great console and service, you need a team of dedicated personnel to get it started and keep it running. That's the job of the LIVE operations, system, and network engineers, who make sure all the features run the way they're supposed to and keep the network and servers up. They're the ones that get called in during the middle of the night to make sure everything runs smoothly.
If there's ever a problem, the call goes out on the hotline.
And the ones calling them? That'd be the Xbox LIVE Operations Center. They're the ones who watch Xbox LIVE like hawks, reporting every little twitch and shiver to the engineers.
Getting the Word Out
You wouldn't know much about what's going on without the branding and marketing teams. They're responsible for the Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE image, and the ubiquitous presence in media through ads, commercials, and events. And then there's the product manufacturing, packaging, launch, sales, and retail teams who make sure you can go out and get the console, accessories, and games that you want.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Xbox.com, whose teams provide you with the latest and greatest information about the system, games, your account info, and support. These busy little bees make sure you can always find what you need online.
And, of course, there are the community teams, forum moderators, MVPs, and bloggers, presenting you with up-to-the-minute reports on the latest games, news, and events, and taking your feedback to the product teams.
Lending a Helping Hand
Often the unsung heroes of Xbox and Xbox LIVE, our support teams labor daily to make sure people can get up and running as quickly and easily as possible, and help when things go wrong.
Also behind the scenes, we have a crack team of policy enforcers that process your complaints, issue bans, and stem the tide of anonymous ****tards who like to mess up your day. Not a pretty job, but they do everything they can to make Xbox LIVE a nicer place to be.
I also have to mention my own team here, the consumer documentation team, who provide you with paper manuals and support content on Xbox.com. What would you do without us?
A Cast of Thousands
And let's not forget the main reason most of you bought your Xbox 360 console: games and content. Without game and content developers and publishers, there'd be no reason for you to hop on Xbox LIVE. So here's to them!
And there are many more people that have a hand in making Xbox LIVE go: Windows Live, Microsoft billing, contributors of content to Xbox LIVE Marketplace, service providers, and many others.
And It All Comes Down to...
You. You didn't think I'd forget, did you? Xbox LIVE wouldn't be the success it is without the millions of gamers who flock to its ports. You're the ones that bring Xbox LIVE to life, and keep it alive and bustling every day.
You built Xbox LIVE. Be proud. I know I am.
Article by Elle
