Are you looking into Xbox Live subscriptions but slightly confused by the multitude of choices people are throwing at you? It should be simple, right? You sign on the dotted line, give someone your credit card information, and the next thing you know you're knee deep in the wide international community of gamers and Xbox fans that make up the Xbox Live community. You never knew you were going to need a dictionary to wade through all of your choices.



Here's a quick look at the options that are available to you as a new member of Xbox Live:

1) Silver membership. Anyone who purchases Xbox Live subscriptions first has to be a silver member. Silver membership is an orientation into the world of Xbox Live. When you sign up for a silver membership you'll be able to create an avatar to represent yourself online, chat with people all over the world, create a profile showing your gaming prowess and download games and movies from the Xbox Live Arcade and/or Marketplace.

2) Gold membership. Gold membership is the next step up and offers you everything that silver does (plus a few things it doesn't). With gold membership you can capitalize on one of the most truly unique features of Xbox Live subscriptions, and the reason they and many other online gaming experiences have become so remarkably popular-multiplayer gaming.

For the dedicated gamers out there no further information is required. When you share a multiplayer gaming experience with other people who have purchased gold Xbox Live subscriptions you have the chance to go up against or join forces with some of the most talented players in the world in games like Halo 2, Street Fighter, Ghost Recon 2 and Star Wars Battlefront II (so much better than the original).

3) Xbox Live Codes. The codes you need to sign up for Gold Xbox Live subscriptions. Your Xbox Live code is what will officially move you up in the world of Xbox gaming and make you a permanent part of the Xbox Live community.

4) Free Xbox Live Subscriptions. You've probably heard a lot about Xbox Live subscriptions. Guess what? It's all true…well, most of it anyway. There are numerous places online you can go to obtain Xbox Live codes for free, but most of them aren't for permanent membership. What they are are a temporary gateway to the Utopia of Xbox Live that allow you all the privileges of gold membership without having to pay an extra penny out of pocket. At the end of a month, six months or even a year you upgrade your temporary membership to a regular one and become a permanent member of the Xbox Live online community.

Weeding your way through the plethora of choices available for joining the world of Xbox Live doesn't have to be difficult. Just check out the options for Xbox Live subscriptions and decide which one is right for you. There's no chance it won't be worth it.