Choosing a Gamertag
Published November 9, 2007 (This article was originally published on October 17, 2002.)
Choosing a Gamertag is one of the first things you'll do as you set up your Xbox Live [ed. Note – see how we handled LIVE then?] account. In your haste to start whupping butt in NFL Fever or MotoGP, you may be tempted to just pick something, anything, and start playing. But you might want to give it some thought. Your Gamertag is your persistent Xbox Live ID, and once you choose it, you're stuck with it. The only way to get a new Gamertag is to get a new account (buy another Starter Kit).
If you're a woman and don't feel like being constantly hit on (not that any of our guys would do that, right guys?) you'll want to avoid a name that identifies you as female. After all, you can use voicemasking to give yourself a deep, threatening tone, but having "Princess" or "GirlPower" as a tag kinda gives it away.
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 teammates and taunting your opponents. If you pick a Gamertag that's impossible to say, everyone will just end up calling you "dude."
Spelling counts. Take it from this guy:
"I was in such a rush to get online I didn't stop and think about the proper spelling, so I guess I'll just say that I'm an apprentice of Gandalf the great wizard. I'm Gandalph, the idiot wizard."
Here are some more tales from the trenches on choosing a Gamertag:
- The Wiz: Because nobody beats the WIZ.
- Agirlyman : Nothing is worse than losing, or getting fragged by "a girly man."
- Red 5: Luke Skywalker's call sign in the attack on the Death Star.
- Bantha Skull: The symbol on the left shoulder of Boba Fett.
- Spleenmuncher : I saw it on the Xbox website.
- Leatherneck : I spent five years in the United States Marine Corps.
- Spheric Wheat: It's what a spell checker does to my real name.
So choose a Gamertag wisely, grasshopper. Because your rep is riding on it.
