Parents: Xbox LIVE 101
Like many parents that have recently purchased an Xbox 360 for their families, you may be wondering what Xbox LIVE is, why your children want to use it, and how you can manage the service if your family decides to join. Read this quick Q&A to learn more about Xbox LIVE and find out how you can help keep your children safe when using the online service.
What is Xbox LIVE?
Xbox LIVE is an online service for Xbox and Xbox 360 that allows you to download full games and additional game content, play video games while communicating with others over voice and text chat, and create an Xbox LIVE “Avatar”– all with a free Silver Xbox LIVE Membership.* If you choose to purchase an upgraded Gold Xbox LIVE Membership, you can play games against other people online, share pictures of yourself or your friends, access Facebook and Twitter, and use your Netflix account to download movies or songs from Last.fm.
*Access to Xbox LIVE Marketplace is free. Games, add-ons, and media content sold separately. Microsoft Points (available at retail or by credit card) required for purchase.
How do I get started on Xbox LIVE?
To use Xbox LIVE, you must have an Xbox or Xbox 360, cable or wireless adapter, 125 MB of memory as well as a broadband internet service connection. Gold Xbox LIVE Membership subscription cards can be purchased from retail stores for 1 month, 3 month and 1 year periods, or you may subscribe online through your Xbox console or on Xbox.com.
For more information about getting started on Xbox LIVE and participating in a free trial, please click here.
What is a Child’s Profile and why do I need one?
A Child Profile is an Xbox LIVE profile for children under 18 years old. The account is managed through your own Xbox LIVE account or Parent Profile, including the secret password that allows you to manage what your children can and can't do when using the service. By setting up a Child Profile, you can manage who your child talks to over the service, the type of content they are allowed to see and play on Xbox LIVE, whether or not they can access Facebook and Twitter and even how long they are allowed to use their Xbox 360 each day.
For more detailed instructions on creating a child account for Xbox LIVE, please click here.
How do I protect my children if they’re using Xbox LIVE?
Xbox LIVE Family Settings allow you to block online access entirely, manage and approve your child’s Friends List (who they play with online), block specific online users and even block the visibility of your child’s gamer profile to other people online. Additionally, you can restrict or block the type of communications your child can engage in (like voice or video chat), restrict online purchases and even restrict the type of advertising kids see, based on game and movie preferences.
For more information about Xbox LIVE Family Settings, please click here.
Xbox LIVE Lingo: What is a “Gamertag”?
A Gamertag is the universal name for a player's username or “nickname” on Xbox LIVE and how they are identified to other people when playing games online. Gamertags also contain avatar images (or "gamer pictures"), often associated with certain games or game characters. Remember that you can block your child’s Gamertag information from other gamers using Xbox LIVE Family Settings.
To learn more about Gamertags on Xbox LIVE, please click here.
Xbox LIVE Lingo: What is an “Avatar”?
Xbox 360 Avatars are computerized representations of Xbox LIVE users that are created by customizing body shape, gender, facial features, hair style, and clothing. Users can then display a head shot of their Avatar on their Gamercard, or user profile, on Xbox LIVE.
To see what an Avatar looks like and to visit the Xbox LIVE Avatar Marketplace, please click here.