There’s been a lot of buzz around the Internet today after Xbox LIVE’s Major Nelson announced on his blog that it’ll soon cost more to subscribe to the gaming service. Xbox LIVE members in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States will all have to pay more starting on November 1st. In the U.S., a yearly subscription will now cost $59.99 instead of $49.99, while a monthly sub will cost $9.99 instead of $7.99.

Many gamers seem unhappy with the announced changes, citing the bad economy and the fact that Xbox’s main competitors, Sony and Nintendo, offer online play and other features at no cost.

In his blog post, Major Nelson defends the price increase. “Since launching Xbox LIVE in 2002 we have continually added more content and entertainment experiences for our members, while keeping the price the same,” he writes. ”We’re confident that when the new pricing takes effect, an Xbox LIVE Gold membership will continue to offer the best value in the industry.”

Does an Xbox LIVE Gold membership really provide enough value to justify the cost though? As much as I enjoy Xbox LIVE, I think the answer to that question is, “No.” While LIVE touts more features than its competitors, many of those features are bloated and unnecessary. Here are just some of the features a Gold subscription gets you:

• Online play: I’ve always felt that it’s ridculous to charge gamers to play online, especially when the competition offers it for free.
• Facebook/Twitter: Really, who wants to update their status using a game controller? My smart phone gets Twitter and Facebook as well, has a keyboard attached, and you know what? Both apps are completely free.
• Netflix: The Wii and PS3 also offer Netflix, requiring only that you order a FREE disc from the video company.
• Avatar Marketplace: A cute, if totally worthless, feature designed to suck more money out of my pocket. Do I really need to pay that extra $5 to outfit my avatar in an Issac Clarke suit? No, no I don’t.
• Xbox LIVE Arcade: While I do love the titles I’ve purchased on XBLA, I can get many of the same titles on the Playstation Network. And I can pay for them in actual dollars, instead of Microsoft Points.
• ESPN3: An upcoming feature on Xbox LIVE, I can see it being a nice perk for those who are sports fans. But what about the thousands of gamers who don’t care about sports and will never watch, but will be forced to pay for it anyway in increased subscription costs?
• 1 vs 100: This was one Gold subscription perk I really did enjoy. Too bad it was cancelled.

Clearly, today’s annoucement is going to be a bit of a PR headache for Microsoft and Xbox LIVE. In today’s economy, consumers are sensitive to any price increase, no matter how it’s justified. However, gamers have been complaining about Xbox LIVE’s pricing since it first started in 2002, and no matter how much we complain, we still fork over our money every year for our Gold subscriptions.

Will this be the straw that breaks the gamer’s back? Or will we all simply roll over and accept the price hike once the commotion dies down? If Sony and Nintendo are paying attention to the #*%& storm Microsoft has created, a well-placed price cut or two on their consoles this holiday season just might win over a few disgruntled Xbox LIVE customers.

My solution? Change the Silver Xbox LIVE plan to include online play, and let the gamers decide whether or not to fork over $60 a year for all of the other extras.

Courtesy of KHON2:

E3 2010 was over a month ago, yet I’m still plugging away. This week, my interview with 38 Studios founder (and former Red Sox pitcher) Curt Schilling has been posted on HookedGamers.com. We discuss his studios projects, what it’s like to be a start-up developer, what he thinks about cloud gaming, and more. All things considered, I think it came out pretty darn well!

Things continue to be crazy around here since E3. I’ve written two more previews. The first is for medieval trading sim Patrician IV, a game that ultimately wasn’t for me, but if you love that particular genre it might be worth keeping an eye on.

I also previewed The First Templar, an action title that takes a more “realistic” approach to its fantasy. Meaning that the locations are historically accurate and you won’t be facing any orcs or elves.

Finally, over at GameZone, I’ve written a list of the 10 things I learned at E3 2010. For instance, that LA cab drivers are quite scary and that it helps to pack light.

This week, I attended my first E3 in Los Angeles, CA after enduring long, cramped flights, hotel snafus and LA taxi drivers who I’m sure were trying to kill me.

Despite all that, though, I had a great time. Met some new people. Saw a lot of video games. Nabbed some free swag.

More details on my adventures at E3 are coming up this week in an article for GameZone. In the meantime, my first E3  preview, for Telltale Game’s Puzzle Agent, is up on HookedGamers now.

This week, for GameZone, I’ve written an article on 10 of the hardest, lengthiest and most soul-crushing Xbox 360 achievements ever dreamed up by game developers. How many have you unlocked?

This week was also my debut as a GameZone blogger. I’ll be focusing mainly on PC and Xbox 360 gaming, as well as health and green video game related articles. This week, I wished Pac-Man a happy 30th anniversary, talked about the AHA’s endorsement of the Wii, and asked gamers what they thought about Ubisoft’s plan for future DLC and about games that have overstayed their welcome.

Next up? A short review of Sam & Max: The Devil’s Playhouse Episode Two!

I know, I know. I haven’t posted much lately. And I apologize.

A lot of interesting things have been happening! GameZone.com officially relaunched! I encourage everyone to check it out. The site has been given an extreme makeover and is a lot sexier. My latest article for GZ, a list of 10 of the hardest Xbox 360 achievements, should go live next week.

Another exciting development is that I’m now going to be a blogger and forum moderator for GameZone! I’ll be writing mainly about PC and Xbox 360 gaming, as well as the occasional health and green gaming related topic. Keep an eye out for my first post tomorrow!

There’s been some talk in the gaming world lately about age. In issue #205 of GameInformer, former Crispy Gamer writer Scott Jones talks about why he’s reluctant to reveal his age to other gamers, and about being laid off and replaced by, as he describes it, an “intern.”

Meanwhile, on Kotaku Owen Good wonders how long gaming will continue to hold his interest, and how much shame he’ll feel buying games in his 60s.

I realize that as I work towards a viable career as a freelance writer, and a games writer in particular, I’m coming to the party a little late. Already in my early 30s, I’m also beginning to wonder how long my passion for video games will last, how long I can sustain a career writing about them and how long I’ll want to let them define me as a person.

Right now, I can’t even dream of quitting. I still get giddy over new releases, like the upcoming Alan Wake, and I’m heading to Los Angeles in June for E3, where I’m sure I’ll spend most of the time staring in slack-jawed amazement and “squee-ing” at everything and everyone I see.

But, like Owen Good, I want to avoid the ”shame” of being an older gamer. Do I really want to be that weird 40-year-old woman standing in line at Gamestop for the midnight release of Final Fantasy XXIII? Luckily, the invention of digital distribution will probably solve that issue for me. On Steam, no one can see you age.

As a form of escapist entertainment, video games serve the same purpose as television, movies or books, yet no one looks at you weird for owning a TV. Only video games carry that social stigma of being “children’s toys.” But with the average gamer age currently at 35, maybe it’s not so far-fetched to think about gaming into your golden years.

[Photo by  Futurilla]

Last week, I conducted my first interview for an article. Interviewing is scary to a lot of freelance writers, and I’m no exception. The idea of calling up strangers and asking them questions makes my little introverted soul curl up in the fetal position. But, I’d signed up for Linda Formichelli’s online course in magazine writing. I’d paid good money for it. My homework was due. The accountability gave me the push I needed to contact game developer The Odd Gentlemen and ask for an interview.

And you know what? It wasn’t that bad.

It wasn’t perfect. Skype disconnected us towards the end and I lost my train of thought at one point during the conversation. But finally doing an interview gave me the confidence to say, “Yes, this is nerve-wracking but I CAN do it!”I’ve now done two interviews for the class. Here are a few of the things I’ve learned:

1. People are nicer than you think

I’d always imagined that if I were to ask someone for an interview, they’d tell me to get lost. Maybe there are people out there who will, but so far everyone I’ve been in contact with has been nice and professional. Even one person who, it turns out, had nothing to say on the topic was very nice about it. Many of the people I requested an interview from never responded, but no response is better than a bad response right? Most people like to talk about themselves. Odds are, if you ask them for an interview, they’ll be flattered.

2. Always ask, “Do you have anything else to add?”

This tip I picked up from a co-worker, an anchor at a local TV news station. At the end of the interview, make sure to ask the person if they have anything else to add. They might think of something you missed, or add an extra tidbit of information that can be used as a sidebar for your article.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask off-topic questions

When I landed the interview with the game developer, I was eager to ask him a few questions about the company’s last release and their current project, but thought it might be considered a no-no. I asked anyway, and the developer was happy to answer the extra questions, giving me material I can use for a whole other article. If you’re going to ask off-topic questions, though, keep it brief. The person is taking time out of their busy day to speak with you. You don’t want to overstay your welcome!

4. Check your equipment beforehand

A day or two before the interview, I made sure Skype was set up properly by testing a few calls out on my friends and family. I made sure the sound quality was good. I made sure the MP3 recorder worked, and that I knew how to use it properly. Nothing is worse than conducting an interview and finding out later it didn’t record! I made sure I had a notebook and pen to take hand-written notes with. Just in case. Because I took time to prepare, though, they weren’t needed.

5. Get permission

State and federal wiretapping laws can be tricky (there’s a good explanation of it here). Find out what the laws in your state are. For instance, the state of Florida – where I live – has a “two-party consent” law, which requires that all participants in the conversation give consent to be recorded. To cover your own backside, always ask the people you are interviewing if you can record the conversation before you start asking questions.

[Photo by kev_hickey_uk]

From the Reddit gaming forum…