Soulreavercross's words of Wisdom: GameSpot is not an RPG or a race for stats. Enjoy the site and its features instead of fighting for numbers that amount for nothing in the real world.

The leveling Up Guide. Please read it carefully!

To level up on GameSpot, simply:

SPEND TIME ON HERE :)

1. Watch Videos
2. Download Videos
3. Look for Walkthroughs
4. Research Games
5. Read Reviews
6. Write Quality Reviews
7. Post (contributes the absolute minimum to your overall level)
8. Fill out your Profile
9. Make a Blog
10. Cruise the Forums
11. Look at the Previews
12. Read the latest Gaming News
13. Look at the Newest Releases

So in short you're seeing just spending time on GameSpot contributes to your level growth. There is no one way to level up faster, however TIME online is the greatest factor.

Though some may say that posting helps you so you should post a lot....don't listen. Posting does help, but in very little, little doses. It takes some people 10 minutes to make 20 posts, but that doesn't equal the time it takes others to read the news, watch a video, or do something else. get the picture? :)

You can go backwards or even be reset back to level 1...if you're moderated (you can lose points).

Please keep in mind that your level will only level up ONCE a day, it's not automatic all day long for when you're on. :)

What you get when you reach certain levels: (only applies to non subscribers)

Level 3: Post comments
Level 3: a Sig (picture/gif/jpeg), reader review posting
Level 3: Able to use HTML and BBCode.
Level 5: make a Poll in certain boards
Level 6: make a union
Level 10: upload a video in your blog, posting limit lifted

To see a full comparison, please check here

Notification of moderation resulting in "point loss":

[QUOTE="Soulreavercross"]A Point Loss moderation will result in a certain percentage from your overall profile level to be deducted. The actual amount is unknown, but it will vary from level to level. It is possible to be demoted several levels with a single point loss/suspension. Suspensions comes bundled with an automatic pointloss. As long as you conduct yourself within the boundaries of the TOU, you have nothing to worry about.

Regarding point losses: Now as you may already know getting moderated with a Point loss will result level percentage deduction. It varies from level to level and we don't know how the system actually works however here are a few samples of what will happened to users when they got a point loss at various levels.

Lv 25, 56%...pointloss>>>Lv 24, 96%

Lv 33, 74%...pointloss>>>Lv 32, 91%

Lv 38, 50%...pointloss>>>Lv 37, 55%

Lv 43, 60%...pointloss>>>Lv 42, 52%

Lv 49, 56%...pointloss>>>Lv 47, 47%

[/QUOTE]

What is the maximum % I can get each day towards my level?
(this is an incomplete list, so if someone wants to start tracking the lower levels... :wink: )

Note: Please read and memorize, say it out loud if you have to. "Below are strictly approximate values. They can be more or less."

The past leveling system showed you the decimal values of each level to the hundredths value, the new system only displays to the nearest whole number, therefore the below values will reflect whole numbers only.

Level 01: 25% or 133% thereafter
Level 02: 66%
Level 03: 50%
Level 04: 31%
Level 05: 23%
Level 06: (user stays 1 day at level 6, then skips to level 7)
Level 07: 11%
Level 08: 17%
Level 09: 15%
Level 10: 13%

Level 11: 12%
Level 12: 11%
Level 13: 10%
Level 14: 09%
Level 15: 09%
Level 16: 08%
Level 17: 08%
Level 18: 07%
Level 19: 07%
Level 20: 06%

Level 21: 06%
Level 22: 06%
Level 23: 06%
Level 24: 05%
Level 25: 05%
Level 26: 05%
Level 27: 05%
Level 28: 05%
Level 29: 04%
Level 30: 04%

Level 31: 04%
Level 32: 04%
Level 33: 04%
Level 34: 04%
Level 35: 04%
Level 36: 04%
Level 37: 03%
Level 38: 03%
Level 39: 03%
Level 40: 03%

Level 41: 03%
Level 42: 03%
Level 43: 03%
Level 44: 03%
Level 45: 03%
Level 46: 05%
Level 47: 05%
Level 48: 13%
Level 49: 03%
Level 50: 06%

Level 51: 05%
Level 52: 04%
Level 53: 07%
Level 54: 03%
Level 55: 12%
Level 56: 02%
Level 57: 60%
Level 58: 02%
Level 59: 15%
Level 60: 02%

Level 61: 06%
Level 62: 03%
Level 63: Less than 1% (It is suspected to be under 0.5% because it takes 3 days to get 1%)
Level 64: Less than 1% (It is suspected to be under 0.5% because it takes 3 days to get 1%)

Level Faq:

What is this crazy level up thing?

It is a system that GameSpot cooked up to keep people coming back and using the site, and in return they are "rewarded" with points which convert into a percentage of a level. When you reach 100% you are leveled up and the cycle starts again. It gives people incentive to keep coming back and using the site.

So what sort of things give me points and how much points do they give me?

No one really knows for sure. GameSpot are very secretive about what exactly gives you points and what doesn't and how much you get for each individual thing. However this doesn't stop people from making educated guesses, so doing things like posting (a lot), watching videos and reading reviews, news and features are generally understood to count toward your points. Some thing will give you more points than others. For example, writting a reviews gives you more points than just posting in a board.

I have been on the site all day and my percent still hasn't gone up, what is wrong?

Nothing is wrong, the percent only goes up in the very early hours of the day. I have worked it out to be around 4 am PDT. This is because other wise the server would be busy updating ever users level and it would cause a lot of traffic on the site. Also it would make it easier for us to guess exactly what gives you how much points.

How come the percentage in my profile is different to what is displayed at the top right of my browser?

The percentage given in your profile is a more accurate representation of your percentage, because it is calculated to 2 decimal places. However the value displayed at the top of the browser is simply rounded off to the nearest whole number.

Is there a limit to how much percent I can get in a day?

Yes, there is a percentage cap per day. This cap varies depending on what level you are on, so it would be too hard to say exactly what it was. They do this to stop people from "gaming" the site just to earn points.

Do Badges have anything to do with levels?

Not really. Badges are a whole different reward system from leveling up. Badges are obtained by meeting the requirements for that particular achievement, for example getting a gamespace banner accepted by Gamespot you get the Artistic Badge.

Hey my percentage or Level went down!!

This will only happen if you violate the Terms of Service agreement that you agreed to when creating your account. This mostly happens on the forums if you post something rude or offensive, if you directly insult another user or post out of the boards topic, the post can be deleted and you may loose points for the offense. But these rules also apply to other regions of the site like reader reviews and news comments. If you want to give the ToS a read then click here.

How many levels are there is there a final level?

As for the exact amount of levels, I don't know. But there are definitely 50 or over so there is plenty of leveling up to be done. I don't think that there is a final level, and if there is it will only be temporary as GS adds new level names from time to time.

At what level do I become a mod?

Mods or Moderators are hand picked by gamespot, from all the good little boys and girls on the forums, to keep order on the boards. Becoming a mod has nothing to do with the levels. If you want to know how to become a moderator, then read this thread.

What are the names given to each level?

Each level is given a name that has something to do with games and gaming. Just look down to find out the names of each known level.

Who has the highest level?

[spoiler] capsizedsailor [/spoiler] Even though Duxup is not the highest leveled user, he has contributed THE most to GameSpot in terms of activity. The highest leveled user is an Admin way cheated his way to the top.

Forum Levels:

Level 1 - Player - Self-explanatory.

Level 2 - Journeyman - Possibly a reference to the Journeyman Project series for the PC/Mac.

Level 3 - Mediator - Reference to a 1986 spaceship game for the C64 and the NES.

Level 4 - Paper Boy - Name of the ****c arcade game where you are - yes! - a Paper Boy, delivering the latest news while dodging people and obstacles.

Level 5 - Tapper - A reference to the arcade game by the same name, in which the player had to serve beer quickly to increasingly surly patrons.

Level 6 - The Super Spy - One of the first attempts at a first-person-perspective action game, for the Neo Geo, in which you played as a secret agent charged with infiltrating an enemy base.

Level 7 - Sectoid - A baddie from the X-Com games.

Level 8 - Quad Damage - A power-up in Quake that drastically increased the amount of damage your weapons did.

Level 9 - Ikari Warrior - A ****c SNK coin-op where you battle your way through guerilla territory, taking on marksmen, combateers and tanks!

Level 10 - Phoenix Down - An item from the Final Fantasy games, used to bring defeated players back to life.

Level 11 - Atomic Punk - An arcade game in which you planted bombs around a maze. I believe this was another name for the Bomberman series.

Level 12 - Rad Racer - Racing game for the NES. Featured a 3-D mode using special glasses.

Level 13 - Toobin' - An arcade and NES (and later Game Boy Color) game focusing on the fascinating world of inner-tube racing.

Level 14 - Ring King - A cl@ssic boxing game for the NES.

Level 15 - Nobunaga's Ambition - A cl@ssic KOEI historical simulation RPG for the NES set in 16th-century feudal Japan, which has been updated recently in online form for the PS2.

Level 16 - Magician Lord - A cl@ssic SNK action-adventure game placing you in the role of a magician lord seeking out eight books of wisdom while fighting off enemies with numerous types of magic.

Level 17 - Minus World - A hidden level from Super Mario Bros. for the NES.

Level 18 - Flicky - A little-known platformer for the Genesis, featuring Flicky, a character first introduced in the Sonic series.

Level 19 - Gitaroo Man - Highly-acclaimed rhythm game for the PS2 which tells the story of U-1 and his jelly-bean-headed talking dog Puma and their quest to save the universe.

Level 20 - Metal Slime - One of the cutest monsters from Dragon Warrior. A royal pain in the butt to beat before they ran away. But oh, the XP if you managed it!

Level 21 - Rescue Ranger - Possibly a reference to the Chip 'n' Dale's Rescue Rangers game on the NES.

Level 22 - Blaster Master - One of the greatest (and hardest) NES games of all time. Game play switched between walking and driving, which was pretty darn cool at the time.

Level 23 - Super Bagman - An arcade game developed by Stern in 1984, in which you played as an escaped convict collecting bags of money from a mine.

Level 24 - I Feel Asleep!! - A well-known line from Metal Gear for the NES. Unclear whether it was a typo (I fell asleep!!) or a mistranslation (I feel sleepy!!).

Level 25 - Defias Brotherhood - This is a chain of quests from Gamespot's favourite title of last year, World of Warcraft - can you do them all to get to the final showdown with Edwin van Cleef?

Level 26 - Cyber-Lip - A 2D side-scrolling shooter by SNK. Rick & Brook must save the Earth's space colony from the Cyber-Lip, a computer gone mad!!

Level 27 - Sheng Long - In the English version of Street Fighter II, after winning, Ryu said "You must defeat Sheng Long to stand a chance." While the actual reference was to one of Ryu's moves, gamers thought it referred to a person. This was enhanced when EGM made a famous April Fool's joke claiming that Sheng Long was an unlockable boss.

Level 28 - Bionic Commando - cl@ssic NES game in which you played as a bionic commando who could not jump, but had a nifty extending bionic arm that let you swing from stuff. Truly kick-ass.

Level 29 - Radiant Silvergun - An excellent top-down shooter for the Sega Saturn by Treasure.

Level 30 - Wicked Sick! - The award earned in UT2k4 for 30 consecutive frags without a death.

Level 31 - Ippon! - A reference to Karate Champ, possibly the first arcade martial-arts game. As a side note, I used to kick ass at that game. That charging bull didn't stand a chance against my mighty spinning back kick.

Level 32 - Snake Eater - The subtitle to the third game in the Metal Gear Solid series.

Level 33 - Goombella - Mario's first ally in Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door, she was particularly useful in giving you information about your foes and location.

Level 34 - Paramecium - I believe this is from Forgotten Worlds for the Turbografx-16. At the end of a stage, your character proclaims, "You cannot stop me with paramecium alone!" Apparently it also appeared in Aero Fighters 2 for the NeoGeo.

Level 35 - Stitches - An epic mob in World of Warcraft.

Level 36 - Radical Ninja - It was the subtitle to the old NES game Kid Niki, an old sidescrolling platformer by Irem.

Level 37 - Heiankyo Alien - A Gameboy game in which you had to prevent an alien invasion of the peaceful town of Kyo...by digging holes with a shovel.

Level 38 - DJ Boy - The best side-scrolling roller skating fighter ever to appear on the Sega Genesis.

Level 39 - Max Force - Max's CO power in the excellent Advance Wars games on the GBA.

Level 40 - Abobo - Name of the boss in Double Dragon for the Neo-Geo.

Level 41 - Thunder Force - A series of side-scrolling action games for the Commodore 64, Genesis and Saturn.

Level 42 - Karnov - An arcade game (also on the NES) in which you played as a bald-headed fire-breathing brute. Karnov was a Muslim prince in the original arcade version, but possibly to avoid causing offense to Muslims, he became Jiborav Karnovsky, a Russian circus strongman, for the NES version.

Level 43 - Sword of Sodan - A side-scrolling hack-and-slash for the Sega Genesis.

Level 44 - Violence Fight - A curiously-titled arcade fighting game in which the player chose one of four characters to compete in a series of one-on-one fights.

Level 45 - Mishima Zaibatsu - A fictional Japanese conglomerate from the Tekken series.

Level 46 - Mutoid Man - A boss from the arcade, Smash TV. As the host would say, "Total carnage! I love it!"

Level 47 - Jaquio - The villain from the Ninja Gaiden series for the NES.

Level 48 - Mr. Domino - A reference to No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!, a quirky but cute game for the Playstation. Also featured on some old Gamespot ads.

Level 49 - Kidd Thunder !! - A reference to Raiden's "Friendship" move in Mortal Kombat 2, in which he creates a miniature likeness of himself.

Level 50 - Strawberry Candy - One of the voice commands in LifeLine for the PS2.

Forum Levels: (con't)

Level 51 - Alien Hominid - A 2D side-scrolling shooter developed by The Behemoth that made the transition to consoles after starting its life as a web-based action game.

Level 52 - Spoony Bard - A rather odd insult from Final Fantasy IV. Spoony is a real word, meaning foolishly sentimental, but I can't imagine what thesaurus the translators used to come up with it when they were localizing FF4.

Level 53 - Zenny - Currency used to buy weapons and upgrades in Mega Man Legends 1 and 2 for the Playstation

Level 54 - Simon Says Bleed - From Demolition Man for the 3D0.

Level 55 - Rise from your Grave - The famous line said by the Greek God, Zeus, in the Sega Genesis, Altered Beast, which allows you to "rise from your grave" to start the game.

Level 56 - Mr.X - The main villain in Mega Man 6.

Level 57 - Karateka. Karateka is a 1984 computer game by Jordan Mechner, the creator of Prince of Persia.

Level 58 - Death=Adder -A dictator that serves as the antagonist in the arcade and console game Golden Axe. The correct reference to him is "Death Adder".

Level 59-Virtual Hustler- A dealer of goods that appear in various MMO games, such as Ultima Online.

Level 60- Master Chief - The main character in the Halo series for the Xbox and PC, who helps the Marine Corps fight against a race of aliens called the Covenant.

Level 61 - Mr. Big - A boss character from the SNK fighting games for the Neo Geo (Art of Fighting).

Level 62-Stylish Crazy Action - A message you get by doing combos in Devil May Cry for the PS2

Level 63 - Big Smoke - Member of the Grove Street gang in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.

Level 64- Easter Egg- a hidden "surprise" of sorts put intentionally into a game, movie or program.

Level 65 - You're Winner ! - Message you get when you win a race in Big Rigs

Level 66 - Secret Cow Level - A mysterious rumor from Diablo I, the "Secret Cow Level", the level became a reality in Diablo II.

Level 67 - I Am Error - 'I am Error' is the name of the old guy living in a huge house said in Zelda II. It was supposed to be 'I am Errol' but something got lost in the translation

Level 68 - Song of Nephilim - This was pyramid-shaped space station that was one of the major causes of the Miltian Conflict in Xenosaga for the PS2

Level 70- The Boss- a character from the MGS3 series, The Boss (aka The Joy) is the founder and leader of the Cobra unit.

How Long does it take to get out of a level?

If you get the max cap daily and start out each level at 0% below are the approximate number of days it would take to complete each known level.

Note: Levels over a Month (30 days) to complete are highlighted in Bold

Level 01: 02 days
Level 02: 02 days
Level 03: 02 days
Level 04: 04 days
Level 05: 05 days
Level 06: Skipped to next level
Level 07: 10 days
Level 08: 06 days
Level 09: 07 days
Level 10: 08 days

Level 11: 09 days
Level 12: 10 days
Level 13: 10 days
Level 14: 11 days
Level 15: 11 days
Level 16: 12 days
Level 17: 12 days
Level 18: 14 days
Level 19: 14 days
Level 20: 17 days

Level 21: 17 days
Level 22: 17 days
Level 23: 17 days
Level 24: 19 days
Level 25: 20 days
Level 26: 21 days
Level 27: 22 days
Level 28: 22 days
Level 29: 23 days
Level 30: 24 days

Level 31: 24 days
Level 32: 26 days
Level 33: 26 days
Level 34: 27 days
Level 35: 28 days
Level 36: 29 days
Level 37: 30 days
Level 38: 30 days
Level 39: 31 days
Level 40: 31 days

Level 41: 33 days
Level 42: 34 days
Level 43: 35 days
Level 44: 35 days
Level 45: 42 days
Level 46: 20 days
Level 47: 20days
Level 48: 08 days
Level 49: 30 days
Level 50: 16 days

Level 51: 22 days
Level 52: 24 days
Level 53: 15 days
Level 54: 32 days
Level 55: 09 days
Level 56: 50 days
Level 57: 01 day
Level 58: 50 days
Level 59: 07 days
Level 60: 50 days

Level 61: 16 days
Level 62: 32 days
Level 63: 300 days
Level 64: 300 days

Credits:

Information taken from the previous leveling up thread, the forum guide and fellow GS members and moderators.