Game Room

Game Room is a gaming service for the Xbox 360 video game system and Microsoft Windows PCs. Launched on March 24, 2010, Game Room lets players download classic video games and compete against each other for high scores. Players on both Xbox 360 and Windows PCs access Game Room through their respective versions of Microsoft's Live online services (Xbox Live and Games for Windows – Live).

Format
The Game Room front end can be downloaded at no charge from Microsoft's Marketplace online storefront. When launched, players are presented with a three-story virtual video arcade, each story containing four separate rooms. These rooms may be decorated however the player wishes, using the included themes and set pieces. The player can fill the rooms with virtual game cabinets that are used to play arcade and console games downloaded through the service, with each room holding a maximum of eight cabinets.

Games for Game Room are made available through downloadable "game packs" released from time to time. While the game packs are free to download, individual games must be purchased in order to be played fully. Players may play each game in the game pack once without charge, limited to ten minutes of game time. Games may be purchased for unlimited use on one platform of the player's choosing (either Xbox 360 or Windows PC) or on both platforms. Players who purchase games for use on a single platform may upgrade them later to add the other platform. When a game is purchased, the player may stock their arcade with copies of the cabinets, which are then used to launch the games themselves.

Gameplay
Games in Game Room are launched by selecting them while players browse through their arcade. Each game offers a number of gameplay options, dependent on its format. Arcade games have DIP switches that may be changed in order to increase difficulty or offer additional lives to the player, while console games have their original gameplay variations. Both are accessible using Game Room's on-screen interfaces. Also, most games can be played in "ranked mode," which allows scores to be posted to online leaderboards while limiting gameplay options to a single variation common to all players.

While browsing their arcades, players will see avatars of themselves and their online friends wandering around and playing the games; Xbox 360 players will see their console avatars, while PC players see generic avatars instead. Similarly, players may visit the arcades of their online friends as well as play the games found there. If a friend's arcade has a game that the player does not own, the player may purchase plays or may use their in-game "tokens." However, the player may play copies of a game they already own for free. Players may also challenge their friends at various games in both score-based and skill-based contests.

During gameplay, players win medals based on their score or how long they have played the game (both for that individual play and all-time on that game). Medals are offered in gold, silver and bronze, with each being worth a certain number of points. As players earn medals, they can advance in levels, which will unlock new themes and set pieces to be used in their arcades. Like other LIVE titles, players also earn achievements based on their gameplay.

Game selection
The initial game pack releases for Game Room are a mix of arcade, Intellivision, and Atari 2600 games. Other arcade machines will also be covered with Microsoft promising at least 1000 virtual arcade cabinets over the next three years. Initially, Microsoft announced plans to release game packs weekly, starting on April 28, 2010, although the first new release did not take place until May 5, 2010. As of August 2011, there are currently 13 game packs to download.

Development
On the release date of Game Room, Xbox 360 and PC users were having difficulty accessing it due to overwhelming demand. Xbox 360 users, after they had installed two game packs, couldn't load the Game Room, users were stuck on the loading screen. The Games for Windows version was likewise broken, users attempting to install received the error message "Install of item failed". These two problems were fixed soon after.

Game Pack 003, the first new game pack offering for the service since launch, was announced for April 28, but hours before the new game downloads were to be released, Microsoft stated that newer game downloads were on hold until further notice. The company released the software the following week, and since then has released new packs periodically.