A couple of weeks back I invented a new PSN ID. The reason behind this was because I was fed up of my previous online name and wanted a new one, as well as the nitpicky side of my that wasn't happy that I had entered my DOB wrong in my original account and hadn't realized. All that aside I started worrying about the most stupid things such as, what if in five years time Sony hands out a special icon to those who were original members and I don't get one? What if people can see that my account was created in 2008? What then? Typing it out it appears pathetic, however I bet you can connect with me on some level here. it was then that it occurred to me just how much a username can mean to a gamer, how much his(or her) information about sign up date, or point count really reflects how this person plays games and their love for them.

Of course it hasn't always been this way, in fact you would have to be pretty young, or not have been gaming for very long to know what it was like to just play games and chat about them. Even the original Xbox LIVE didn't have profiling. But the kind of thing that we have now has grown from sites like this. For years I have been visiting game sites and for a few less I have been a member of them, I have stayed up at ungodly hours to watch press conferences all in the name of saying that I've seen them live, and then freaking out when I don't get my profile emblem. I have voiced many opinions in forums, all under a certain identity that I live under when on the site. This identity is now spilling over onto the console games themselves, we all want to look good to our online friends and we all want an online identity that shows others just how much we are into gaming. Gone are the days when I can play a game and not bother about picking up hidden frogs or completing in an extreme difficulty, because now what i do is broadcast to others and as a gamer who is naturally competitive, I want to look good.

 I was even down when I had to get rid of my Xbox LIVE Gamertag after a couple of years when I knew that I wasn't going to be buying a 360 for a while (which I still haven't). Even then it was apparent that a gamer ID was more than just a necessary field to fill in to play games online. Before then I had my Blizzard Battlenet name which today I can't even remember, but at the time was my crusading identity that meant everything when playing Warcraft 3. PC games and Game sites are where it started and now we can see it in every aspect of gaming. So how many people agree on the personal importance of a username? How many have the same name on everything they sign up to? is it important? Most importantly, how critical do you believe your Gamerscore or Trophy Count is to showing how much of a gamer you are? To me that is still questionable.

On a side note, before posting this blog I put up a PSN gamer card of my new account. Those who wish to add me and see my brilliant level 2 glory are welcome!