Today, Xbox.com came back online, and with it comes exclusive 5WG content. I’ve been writing for Xbox.com for over three years now, and after more than 100 articles published there, I’m delighted to be able to continue doing so while representing 5WG for the first time.

As one of the “Friends of Xbox”, many of you may be visiting this site for the first time, and if so, welcome!

It’s important to note that 5WG isn’t a “fan site” - we’re platform-agnostic, don’t play favorites with game developers, and hope to present both information and ideas about the gaming industry for both consumers and developers.

To Xbox.com’s credit, they’ve understood this from the get-go, and since 2003, they’ve never once rejected a story nor changed the content of any of my articles; they feel that their product stands on it’s own, along with those of their licensees. At Xbox.com, I’ve tried to present an insider’s view of Xbox sports titles - by conducting interviews with developers and athletes, writing previews, offering tips and even making “holiday picks” - and that will continue. I should note that I’ve never been remunerated for anything I’ve ever written for publication on Xbox.com, nor will I be paid to generate content now. It’s important to me (and to Xbox.com, for that matter) that my content remain both independent and uninfluenced.

I appreciate this opportunity, and I am a delighted owner of an Xbox 360, an Xbox and a myriad of Xbox games. That said, I also own a PlayStation 2, a PSP, various Nintendo systems, a gaming-caliber PC, a still-functioning 3DO (yes, you read that right!), Sega’s Game Gear, a Commodore Amiga 500, and an Atari 2600, among many others. In other words, I’m a gamer, first and foremost - and always have been.

At 5WG, it’s about gaming as a whole - and discussing good games, in particular. As to who makes them or what they’re played on?

I leave that bit of wisdom to Shakespeare: “That which we call a rose; by any other name would smell as sweet.”