Arcade Antics with Xbox 360 Live Downloads Your Xbox comes loaded with features and accessories, but you can add even more fun to your video gaming experience by checking out the Xbox Live Arcade. The Xbox Live Arcade is a popular online gaming service offered and operated by Microsoft. The service distributes different games to Xbox and Xbox 360 users. First launched in late 2004, the Xbox Live Arcade was an immediate success. The site was re-launched in lat 2005 to welcome the release of the new Xbox 360. Some of the most popular Xbox Live Arcade titles include DOOM, Street Fighter II, Lumines Live!, Smash TV and Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved. The Xbox Live Arcade service offers games at various prices, but typically games range from $5 to $15 in the United States. In the original launch of Xbox Live Arcade, Microsoft sought to publicize the new gaming service by providing Xbox users with a free starter disc that came with a complementary game: the classic Ms. Pac Man. Once players became connected to the Xbox Live Arcade, players could use their credit cards to purchase other titles. With the re-launch of the Xbox Live Arcade, the site was revamped so that it was integrated into the Xbox 360 Dashboard user interface. The new Xbox Live Arcade allows players to connect with the arcade leader boards that allow them to access their gamertag profile. This adds a whole new level of interactivity. Players that connect to the Xbox Live Arcade via their Xbox 360 can automatically access how they rank against some of the world's best players. They can also compare their scores to everyone who is listed on their friends list. Players can also gain additional points by playing Xbox Live Arcade games. Each arcade game has a total of 200 points up for grabs. The points are spread across twelve separate achievements that must be reached in order to get the points. When accessing the Xbox Live Arcade, Xbox users have several options about how they want to access the video games. They can opt to download trial versions of the arcade titles for free. These trial versions are commonly referred to as demos. Although demos can be played, they only offer a glimpse at the game content. In order to get access to the full content, the user must purchase the entire game for download. Demos are helpful in letting consumers get a taste of each game before they decide to purchase it. In order to purchase a game title on the Xbox Live Arcade, users must purchase them using Microsoft Points. What are Microsoft Points, and how can you get your hands on some? Well, as you can probably imagine, Microsoft Points are not legal tender. They represent a kind of scrip that you can buy through the Xbox Live Arcade user interface. In essence, you purchase points, and then use your purchased Microsoft Points in order to purchase and download games. Why does the Xbox Live Arcade use Microsoft Points? Microsoft Points have several advantages over regular form of payment. They provide a sense of stability on a worldwide marketplace. They make business sense when you consider that most gamers are scattered across dozens of different countries. Microsoft Points allows Microsoft to avoid having to deal with regional pricing. Moreover, Microsoft Points make sense in another sense. Microsoft Points prevents consumers from associating the Xbox Live Arcade video games with a monetary value. Also, the Xbox Live Arcade site requires users to purchase Microsoft Points in bulk. This makes it more
difficult for users to purchase one game at a time. Rather, consumers are encouraged to purchase several games at one time. As of March 2006, Microsoft announced that there had been over three million downloads of Xbox Live Arcade game. Clearly, the Microsoft Points system is working, and gamers are satisfied with the many features of the Xbox Live Arcade experience.