Tim Tracy Associate Producer, GameSpot Live	Something Old: Bangai-O (DC), Carcass, "Swansong" Something New: Headhunter (PS2), DJ Shadow, "The Private Press" Something Borrowed: Nothing at the moment, actually. Something Blue: Blue Stinger (DC), "The Essential Lenny Bruce"

Hey, You Got Your Broadband in My Console!

It's hard to be anywhere these days and not come across the word "broadband" on the television, on the Internet, or muttered by a passerby on the street. Harder still is to be a gamer and to not hear the word attached to a big game that is coming out soon. It seems that just about every game these days has some kind of online component. PC gamers have been playing online for years, and just about anyone who is serious about playing games online has a broadband connection at home. Gamers who primarily play console games, like me, are about ready to get a taste of what broadband is. Sure, the Dreamcast was the first to have online games, and it did what it did well, but we all know what happened, so I won't bother to repeat it. Microsoft and Sony are about ready to go headfirst into the broadband gaming market, and I'm really not sure how I feel about the whole deal at this point.

The last online game I played.

I know I'm not alone, and I don't think I'm in the minority, either. While Sony and Microsoft have put together expansive plans for their online dealings, I just don't think that the adoption of broadband has been wide enough to make a big enough splash to rock the boat. Simply put, the average gamer just isn't willing and able to make the big jump to online yet. I know I'm setting myself up for a rash of nasty e-mails, but think about it--if you're reading this, you're already online, so you've taken the big step. You've probably already got DSL or a cable modem, too. What about the millions of people out there who just rent games every once in a while and don't use the Internet that much, if at all? Those folks are the people who, for reasons different from mine, have little or no use for the broadband capabilities of their console. Until more than, say, 50 percent of the people in the world who use the Internet upgrade to broadband, online gaming with a console is not going to make that much of a difference.

Would this make you run out and get DSL?

Will the single-player experience go the way of the dodo or the door-to-door salesman when broadband is adopted by the masses and the "killer app" hits the shelves? Fear not, fellow reclusive, thrifty, and casual gamers: The single-player game is here to stay. This industry was founded on the single-player experience, and even the most mind-blowing online experience will never change that.

Well, folks, I gotta scoot. Until next time, please keep the e-mails flowing! I've gotten quite a few from people out there entering the GameSpot Live Challenge, and from the sounds of some of the ideas, the competition is going to be pretty interesting.