Choosing Your Gamertag
Your Gamertag is the name everyone else on Xbox Live will know you by. So do us all a favor and don’t use a bunch of gibberish “l337” speak because you think you are clever. When other people need to talk to you and they can’t figure out how to pronounce your name, that is a bad thing. Halo 3 someone fixed this problem by giving everyone short call signs in-game, but in other games names can be hard to decipher in mid-battle, so do us all a favor and choose your name wisely. Also, don’t use inappropriate language in your Gamertag. Microsoft has been cracking down on offensive tags lately, so don’t bother trying to be cute.
In-Game Behavior
First off, it needs to be said that playing with friends is different from playing in open matchmaking. If you are in a room with friends, do whatever you want. Like I said above, your friends already know you are a jerk and still play with you anyway. But if you are in a room of strangers, try to tone down the swearing and name calling and general stupidity.
Above all else, use the mute switch on your controller! We don’t need to hear your music, or your wheezy breathing, or you yelling at your mom for chocolate milk, or your crying baby, or any of that. Only un-mute when you have something to say and then mute it again. Also, if you are a squeaky voiced prepubescent kid, it is probably a good idea to just not talk at all. Why are you playing Halo and Gears of War anyway, Mr. “Middle school algebra is too tough but I’m still allowed to play an ‘M’ rated game …”?
Using the Player Review Feature
One thing you can do that is usually pretty effective in weeding out the people you don’t want to play with is to use the player review feature. Either on the dashboard or in-game through the Xbox Guide, you can see all of the people you have played with and submit reviews. You can choose to prefer or avoid a player, and if you avoid them you can choose from a list of reasons why (bad language, cheating, etc.). Microsoft actually does pay attention to these things, and users that get a lot of negative reviews can have their accounts removed.
Don’t abuse this feature, though. You don’t need to review every single person you play with. Only use it if there are great people you want to play with again, or horrible people you’d rather not play with again. All of those voiceless, faceless, average shmoes in between you can’t even remember probably don’t need a review.
Ranked vs. Player Matches
If you want hardcore competition where everyone is serious about the game and dedicated to winning, then play in ranked matches. Ranked matches are there for you “serious business” people. Player matches are available for when people just want to goof off and have fun and winning and losing isn’t all that important. Don’t go into a player match and start yelling at people that aren’t as good at you and getting angry when you don’t win. Games are supposed to be fun, and getting yelled at and slaughtered by someone better than you isn’t all that fun.
Friends List
Some general tips about adding people to your friends list. Don’t send requests without a note telling that person who you are and where you know them from. Don’t send requests to people asking for help with Achievements. Don’t send requests to celebrities or game journalists just because you know their tag. If you play a game with one, and had a good time and they will actually remember you, then send a request. For the most part, though, we probably don’t want to play with you. Rude? A little bit. True? Absolutely.
Game Invites
Having a friends list filled with people to play with is cool, but sometimes people want to just play by themselves. If you see a friend playing single-player, it is probably a good idea not to harass them with a game invite. Also, if a friend is playing a different game than you are, don’t send them an invite to your game.
Wrap Up
- Choose a Gamertag that is easy for others to read and pronounce
- Mute your mic when you aren’t talking
- Mind your language when playing with strangers
- Don’t be 12 years old (ever … seriously, skip that year if you can)
- Use the player review feature
- Play in the right playlist
And there you have it. Simple rules to make everyone’s Xbox Live experience better.
