Last week, I noticed on
vbulletin.org - "Board of the Month Poll" one of the sites that was listed called
Gamertag Nation, so I decided to see what they were all about, before I made my decision on who to vote. And yes they got my vote but I also wanted to share with the GTR community what their site was all about. Here’s what Eric had to say about his Xbox 360 site:
How long has the site been around?
We came about as Gamertag Nation in mid-February of this year, though it wasn't until late-March that we opened the doors to new members. Up until our public launch, I developed all the community features and tirelessly tested the components used to sync our gamers' gamertags with Xbox Live. Luckily, the idea has caught on and we haven't looked back since.
There's a lot of Xbox 360 websites around, how do you differ from the other sites out there?
You know, there are a lot of incredible Xbox 360 websites out there today, and I know several others will likely show up during the console's lifetime, but I have really tried hard to stand out among the crowd. The biggest thing we have to offer, especially when compared to any other Xbox 360 website, is our balance between community and gaming content. While some websites out there offer services to link your gamertag to your account with them, we took it one step further by providing content for each and every game. We've also tried to cater to our international gamers by offering a dynamic list of upcoming and new releases by country. More recently, we've also introduced a Microsoft Points Converter so gamers can find out exactly how much the newest downloadable content will cost them in their local currency. We'd like to think we have a lot to offer Xbox 360 gamers, and we know that once you first check us out, you'll find what you need.
I like that idea of the Microsoft Points Converter. In addition gaming do you have any other hobbies?
I think I've been gaming longer than anything else I do these days, but I also enjoy spending my spare time writing music, playing guitar, reading blogs, checking Facebook, playing basketball or football, and also programming and designing new websites.
I was about to say do you ever get out? Until you mentioned basketball and football. Do you consider yourself a casual gamer or hardcore gamer?
I see myself more as a casual gamer than a hardcore gamer, really. Before picking out my next game to play for the Xbox 360, I always take into consideration how hard or difficult a game might be. There are only a few games that I will take the time to play regardless of how difficult it is or how stiff the online competition might be. Time is also a huge setback so I prefer to pick-up-and-play whenever there is time available.
I admire your honesty most gamers out there try so hard to claim being hardcore. Do you have preference in a particular game genre?
Since Madden '93 on the Sega Genesis, I've become a sucker for sports games. It also helps that I'm a huge sports fan at the same time. Still, there's something about a friendly 4-on-4 multi-player game with my friends that drags me into the genre, too.
What would you say is your memorable gaming moment?
There has been plenty to list over these past years, but my most memorable gaming moment was pulling a Rock Band all-nighter over Thanksgiving weekend. It was a celebration of my 21st birthday, which was a few days after Rock Band's release in the United States, so my friends and I were all fairly new to the game and its songs. Surprisingly, none of my neighbors in the apartment complex I was living in at the time complained. Having friends and booze around Rock Band makes for some real entertainment.
For being a so-called casual gamer you sure were being pretty hardcore that night. What upcoming game(s) are you looking forward?
Microsoft really impressed me with E3 this summer. To start off, Guitar Hero: World Tour and Rock Band 2 are very high on my wish-list. As soon as the set-lists were announced for both games, I couldn't help but feel giddy over the amazing song selection this time around. I couldn't be forced to choose just one, so I think both of these competitors will find my money in their pockets this fall. Plenty of other games which have piqued my interest, including Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts, Lips, Fallout 3, Gears of War 2, Resident Evil 5, Halo Wars, and Saints Row 2. It'll be interesting to see exactly how I can pay for all of these new games though. Nonetheless, I look forward to finding out how each game unfolds as their release dates get closer and closer.
Other than Xbox 360 do you ever jump the fence to the other side and game in other consoles or PC? If so, which one would say it's your favorite or least favorite console and why? If not, why not?
I haven't officially jumped the fence in the next-generation console war, but I did come close when I first played a Nintendo Wii that my friend owns. I really enjoyed the amount of interaction that the Wii brings, but with the limited selection of deserving game titles and poor graphics, I lost interest later on. Playstation 3 has really picked up over the past year, but I still haven't found a reason to play on both Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. All in all, I'm very loyal to the Xbox 360 console. Since I was lucky enough to get an Xbox 360 shortly after its North American release, I've always been content with the console's offerings and potential. Besides, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 came out a year after Microsoft had already impressed me.
Your missing out on Wii Fit! What beholds in the future of Gamertag Nation?
The future, you say? I've actually been hard at work on our mobile platform at Gamertag Nation. My girlfriend nabbed an iPhone last month, and I was impressed with the capabilities of mobile internet. Once we're done, we're hoping to become a popular source for those on-the-go gamers and anyone without a computer nearby. This platform will give gamers easy access to much of the content already found on our website. This includes our whole gamertag database full of individual and overall game stats alongside our entire game library brimming with game details, achievements, release dates, reviews, guides, and news, just to name a few. I'm excited to be a part of something as big as this, mostly because I know I'll be able to make good use of it in between or during game sessions.
Thank you again for sharing with us your community site Eric and good luck with your future projects. Anyone interested in checking them out make sure to go to
www.gamertagnation.com.
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