If you have a gamer in your house, chances are, you also have an Xbox. We got the kids an Xbox 360 last Christmas and it was one of the top gifts we have ever given them. We bought them each a gaming chair, the Xbox, controllers and a few games and hid them all under a blanket. When they came out to open their gifts, they did not immediately see the big blanket covered lump in the middle of the room. Once they spied it and pulled off the blanket, their screams and whoops of excitement were almost deafening!
I was new to the Xbox thing, so I had a lot to learn about how it worked and what you needed to play with it. One of the first things we were told to do was open an Xbox LIVE account and get an Xbox LIVE Gold membership. If you are new to the Xbox scene, Xbox Live is an online gaming and digital media community which was created and is operated by Microsoft. Here are a few ways you can get the most out of your Xbox LIVE Gold membership:
5 Uses For Your Xbox LIVE Gold Membership
1. Be Part Of A Huge Community:When you join Xbox LIVE, you are part of a 48 million member social entertainment network for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. My son has made a ton of friends who are home school kids like himself who are also avid Xbox 360 players. We screen his friends and watch his activity, so we feel good about his being part of this group. He can also play with his family who live out of state, so we know he is connected, even when they are not nearby.
2. Free Games: Â When you have an Xbox LIVE Gold membership, you get 2 free games per month. Each game is especially selected and is a fan favorite game you are sure to enjoy. Â The games are only available for Xbox 360 for a limited time, so you need to grab them quickly before they disappear! Be on the lookout for games for your Xbox One in April of this year.
3. First Rate Entertainment: With Xbox LIVE, you can stream all your favorite movies,TV, live events, music, and sports in gorgeous HD. The ability to watch Netflix through Xbox LIVE has been a lifesaver for us. Henry is super scared of storms, and when one blows through, I lay down with him until it passes. We will scroll over to Netflix and find a cartoon or kids show to watch to keep his mind off the weather. It works like a charm! With the Xbox One, you can connect your cable or satellite box and watch all your favorite programs through the console. You can also personalize your OneGuide by adding your favorite channels and apps as well as see what is trending among your friends and the Xbox Live community.
4. Earn And Redeem Rewards: One of Henry’s favorite parts of the Xbox LIVE Gold membership is the Xbox Live Rewards. He gets to earn real rewards which include credits, exclusive prizes and more for playing games and being active.
5. Avatar Marketplace: Henry LOVES avatars and with more than 15,000 to choose from in the Avatar Marketplace, he will never get bored! You can choose their tops, bottoms, hats, and accessories, many of which are less than $1. You can choose from name brands like Nike, My Little Pony, Star Wars, South Park and a ton more. I must admit, we have spent a decent chunk of change in this area alone!
You can buy your Xbox Live membership in a number of ways. You can visit any brick and mortar or online store who carries electronics and accessories and they are almost always going to have the Xbox Live cards with the codes. You can buy them by the month, 3 month and 6 month memberships. You can also have $10 monthly deducted from your payment option through your Xbox LIVE account as well. We prefer to buy ours for 12 months at a time as you get a discount for the more months you buy.
