Honestly, I don't think I would have become the gamer I am today without XBL.. It opened me up to online interactions with whole communities, got me interested in actually checking out the developers, and allowed me to sharpen and hone my skills much more so than I would have ever been able to with my small circle of friends. I'm pretty sure it was a Halo game that finally got me to subscribe to Xbox Live, but I am so glad I did, and I wish that I had been financially able to earlier :)