The Xbox 360 was introduced to the world in late 2005. At that time the "Xbox LIVE" was integrated into the console, and not offered as a complete, independent online experience.

Within a short span of a few years since its launch, the Xbox 360 community has grown immensely. Xbox LIVE has become an online powerhouse that has taken the gaming experience of a user to an entirely new level by bringing the global gaming community under a single roof.

The Xbox 360 experience has now risen to the levels of social networking, and the diehard Xbox 360 users feel that they are a part of one large Xbox family. That is why some highly active and interesting communities centering around Xbox 360 have mushroomed all over the Internet. Here is a list of some of the prominent blogs, sites, groups and forums related to the Xbox 360 on the net:

COMMUNITY BLOGS:

XNA TEAM BLOG: It provides the latest news and updates directly from the XNA team.

ELI TAYRIEN'S BLOG: This is an XNA Game Studio Developer's blog that offers excellent tips and advice for the users.

GAMERSCOREBLOG: This blog offers latest information and interesting articles and videos on the Xbox and the gaming industry.

COMMUNITY SITES:

Zbuffer.com

Gameprojects.com

Ziggyware.com

Gamedev.net

TUTORIALS AND EDUCATION FOR THE COMMUNITY

Graphics Runner: XNA and 3D Graphics blog

Hazymind: XNA Engine Tutorial

XNAdevelopment.com

XNAtutorial.com

USER GROUPS AND REGIONAL SITES

Twin Cities (Minnesota) Users Group

Dallas XNA Community User Group

XNA UK User Group

Russian XNA Developers

XNA-Studio Japan

XNA FORUMS

This is one of the largest discussion forums on Xbox 360, with nearly 46,000 users having contributed to nearly 50,000 threads, and over 100,000 messages online.

XNA CREATOR'S CLUB ONLINE COMMUNITY

The XNA Creator's Club is an Xbox 360 community that is a platform for gaming enthusiasts who also aspire to create original games from their own ideas and imagination. This community offers powerful tools to the members to create their own games on Windows and Xbox. The community also provides you access to a vast pool of educational resources that can help you refine your creativity. You can create your own games and once they are approved by the Club, they are made available at Xbox LIVE Marketplace for downloading by the entire Xbox 360 user community worldwide.

XBOX LIVE COMMUNITY GAMES

Starting November 2008, Xbox LIVE service intends to take the Xbox 360 community experience of the users to a new and unprecedented level by involving the gamers in creating the games that they like to play.

Microsoft supported XNA Game Studio will assist the Xbox LIVE members who become premium members of the XNA Creator's Club Online Community to create the games of all kinds, and they will be paid for their efforts. This way it will democratize the entire Xbox 360 community by creating games that are "Of the community, By the community, and For the community."

SUMMARY: The Xbox Community is an ever-growing population of gaming enthusiasts who love this activity, and are ardent followers of the Xbox 360 gaming titles and other features offered from time to time. Increasingly, with the cheaper access of broadband Internet, gaming is turning into a larger experience of virtual social networking that is widening the audience for this activity worldwide.