If you've ever played a shooter such as Call of Duty, Battlefield or Halo in online multiplayer mode, then you will appreciate how difficult it can be to stay alive when everyone else has better weapons and knows the game maps so much better than you. But now there is hope for nOObs everywhere, as a new type of online entrepreneur in the form of the virtual bodyguard arrives on the scene.
One hard-core gamer who is offering his services as an online bodyguard caught my attention recently, advertising his services on the fivesquids website where he is charging five British pounds for 30 minutes worth of in-game protection. The advert claims he will stay "by your side the entire time and will fight for you, keeping enemies away from you, protecting you when you snipe, even SACRIFICING MY LIFE to save yours" for the following Xbox 360 games: Call of Duty 4, Call of Duty Black Ops, Halo Reach, Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield Bad Company 2.
DaniWeb spoke to the gamer who, in order to protect his in-game characters, is known only as Mr Smith and turns out to be a 15 year old student who when evening falls becomes "a defender of the brave" apparently.
DaniWeb: What gave you the idea to become an online bodyguard?
Mr Smith: "I remembered how hard it had been starting out in games like Call of Duty and Battlefield online, when everyone else had access to better weapons and equipment. I used to think 'I wish one of my friends would go round the game with me and give me a hand'. And that's all it is really! It's been the trend for games at the moment to encourage personal gain versus good teamwork, so my service allows customers to feel like they are part of a well-oiled machine, not a walking bullet magnet.
DaniWeb: Have you any previous experience as a virtual bodyguard?
Mr Smith: "I used to gang up with someone against my friends on Goldeneye, and we would be each other's bodyguard".
DaniWeb: Have you had any takers?
Mr Smith: "I think a lot of people have been hesitant for one reason or another, perhaps because they can't quite see how it would work. I think that once a few people take the plunge and see what it's like (and why not, it's only a fiver!), we'll see many more gamers putting me to the test".