Windows Phone 7 : Setting Up an Xbox LIVE Account

What’s Xbox LIVE?

Xbox LIVE is Microsoft’s online gaming and social networking service. First launched in 2002, the service started out as an extension of the company’s popular Xbox gaming console. Later, Microsoft expanded the service to Windows PCs. Windows Phone 7 marks the first time it’s been designed into a phone. The good news is that, unlike a Zune Pass, a basic Xbox LIVE subscription is free. And since the service already boasts more than 20 million subscribers, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone to play against!

If you’re new to video games, or grew up in the age of Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, the new online world of Xbox LIVE might feel a little foreign and intimidating at first. (I know it did for me.) But trust me: Once you familiarize yourself with a little of the Xbox LIVE lingo, you shouldn’t have any problems having fun on your new smartphone. You’ll probably also quickly discover that Xbox LIVE isn’t just for hardcore gamers. Marketplace carries Xbox LIVE titles designed to appeal to a wide variety of ages, experience levels, and interests—from card games and word puzzles to cutting-edge shoot ‘em ups.

1. Lingo of Xbox LIVE

If you’re new to the world of Xbox or Xbox LIVE, it might help to learn a few of the basic concepts you’ll run into:

• Gamertag Your gamertag is your unique user name on Xbox LIVE. You choose it when you sign up for an account.

• Avata Avatars have become one of the hallmarks of Xbox. An avatar is your virtual self in the Xbox universe, your in-game alter ego. When you sign up for an Xbox LIVE account, you’re asked to create an avatar, picking out its body type, facial features, hairstyle, clothes, and more. The fun of avatars is that they can be your mirror image or purely fantastical creations designed for fun.

• Achievement points Achievements are challenges within a game that you can complete to earn points. Achievements are totally optional, but they add another layer of excitement to a game. Achievement points can be earned for just about anything: finishing a particular level, killing a specific number of baddies, not dying, finding some object—anything!

• Gamerscore Your gamerscore is the total number of achievement points you’ve earned. A gamerscore is about bragging rights and also serves as a way to compare one player to another. (It’s also a good indication of how game-addicted somebody is!)

2. Xbox LIVE Extras

Most of the basic game-related features of Xbox LIVE are available on Windows Phone 7. The Games hub, for example, shows your avatar, gamerscore, and achievements. But Microsoft has also created an add-on app called Xbox LIVE Extras that will let you have even more fun on your phone. Extras lets you dress and accessorize your avatar, see when your Xbox LIVE friends are online (and whether they’re playing on their PC, Xbox console, or phone), send text messages to your Xbox LIVE friends, and see how your friends’ achievements match up against yours. Look for Xbox LIVE Extras in Marketplace on your phone.

3. Setting Up an Xbox LIVE Account

You don’t need an Xbox LIVE membership to play games on your phone, but having one makes Windows Phone 7 a lot more fun. If you don’t already have an Xbox LIVE account, you can set one up right from your phone. There are two kinds of Xbox LIVE memberships: Silver and Gold. A Silver membership is free and lets you do most of the fun stuff you’re probably itching to do on your phone.

3.1. Set up Xbox LIVE