Previously: “Object In Stagnation Consciousness.”
My household isn’t an Xbox household. Not anymore, at least; between the PS5, the Switch, the Switch Lite, the multiple PCs, and the smart TV, we don’t really need an Xbox these days. We used to have one, though — back in the Xbox 360 days — and for a space of time, Xbox Live was in use fairly frequently for us. Our Xbox Live accounts, however, never did what the Xbox Live account in this creepypasta does. (Thankfully.)
Originally published at the Creepypasta Wikia way back in December of 2011 by user The Silicon Lemming, the creepypasta simply titled “Xbox Live” brings to mind a different phenomenon to me: That of doppelganger phone numbers.
The venue is a little different, of course — here, rather than just your voice, the doppelganger in question is our erstwhile narrator’s Xbox Live avatar — but the story preys on the same fears: What if there’s another You somewhere that’s not You? What if the You that exists outside of yourself — the You that exists on the telephone, or on the internet, or in pictures, or in videos, and on, and on, and on — isn’t actually You?
[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]
And what if that You thinks that it could be You better than you can be You?
“Xbox Live” gets a little heavy-handed in places, but I still think it taps into something interesting; it’s definitely worth a read. Find an excerpt below, and read the full story at the Creepypasta Wikia.
Oh, also: Xbox Live (the service) isn’t actually Xbox Live anymore; it became the Xbox Network in 2021. Just, y’know… FYI.
***
I’m writing this in front of my T.V. My Xbox is on and resting on the main dashboard. I can see my avatar, and I think he can see me. He occasionally waves.
I prefer to keep my eyes on the screen as much as possible because better the devil you know, right?
This all started a week ago. I was playing, mixing it up between Trials HD and Battlefield 1943. I’m an Arcade nut and love some of the games that you can download. I was owning a level on Trials when I received a party invite.
The thing is, it had no name attached. It was just an empty field followed by “has invited you to an Xbox Live Party.” Flummoxed, I accepted and entered the party. When I checked the menus, I was the only one in there. Somewhat strange, but not impossible. The person could have left before I entered.
Just as I was readying to leave, someone else joined the party. Namely, it was me.
***
Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Twitter @GhostMachine13 and on Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And for more games, don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!
[Photo via StockSnap/Pixabay]
