Tag: subscription services

Xbox Game Pass (XGP) keeps on changing for the worse

Xbox Game Pass (XGP) keeps on changing for the worse

carlocarrasco

Welcome back Xbox fans, geeks and gamers!

Let’s be honest here. There are changes regarding Xbox Game Pass (XGP) that are disadvantageous to both Xbox fans and the gamers who subscribe for the best value in gaming. In fact, the said subscriber service is getting is getting worse as reported by Windows Central Gaming. You heard about the Standard tier of XGP? Are you aware that certain first-party games are not even part of the services below the Ultimate tier of XGP?

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from Windows Central Gaming’s news report. Some parts in boldface…

Xbox Game Pass has long been the key differentiator for Microsoft’s gaming business, offering an alternative subscription-based store against Steam on PC, and offering heaps of value on console against PlayStation with its day-one games pledge. That covenant has been undone now, though.

Now, only users on the $19.99 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate tier will get day one games on console, with PC users retaining them at $11.99. The big change is to the basic “Console” tier, which has now essentially been removed for new users. The new Standard tier will start at $14.99 for new customers, and will include the Xbox Live Gold (Game Pass Core) multiplayer paywall specifically for premium games like Call of Duty Black Ops 6. Crucially, though, it won’t actually include Call of Duty Black Ops 6.

Previously, Xbox Game Pass’ promise was to offer day-one Microsoft-owned titles into the service. Games like Starfield, Forza Horizon 5, Flight Simulator, and many other heavy hitters dropped straight into Xbox Game Pass Console, PC Game Pass, and Ultimate, granting the service far better value on paper than competing options. Xbox Game Pass Standard no longer guarantees day-one access to Xbox games, meaning the hotly anticipated Call of Duty Black Ops 6 will be available only to PC Game Pass users, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers. Despite paying more than PC Game Pass users, Xbox Game Pass “Standard” members will not get access to said games. 

To compound matters, it was discovered recently (via Forbes) that Xbox Game Pass Standard has removed access to a wide variety of games that are currently active on the deprecated Xbox Game Pass “Console” tier, which is only available for users who maintain a subscription. If you swap out your subscription to gain access to Xbox Live Gold, which isn’t available on Xbox Game Pass “Console,” then you’ll lose access to a huge list of titles. 

I encourage you to read the rest of Windows Central Gaming’s article by clicking https://www.windowscentral.com/gaming/xbox/xbox-game-pass-standard-is-sub-standard-games-like-starfield-diablo-4-go-retroactively-missing-from-the-consoles-game-pass-mid-tier

I hope understand what was reported. Specifically for those who own Xbox consoles, the three Xbox Game Pass services available for your choosing are Core at $9.99/month, Standard for $14.99/month and Ultimate for $19.99/month (note: only $1 will be charged for the first 14 days before the regular rate gets implemented).

If you will subscribe to Core or Standard, you will NOT be able to play Avowed and Indiana Jones and The Great Circle once they launch on XGP. Avowed will launch on February 18, 2025 while the Indiana Jones game will be released on December 9, 2024. At the same time, you won’t be able to play the other Xbox heavy hitters like Forza Motorsport (2023), Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Halo Infinite and Starfield while subscribing with Core or Standard services.

It is clear that Microsoft is trying to lure gamers to take the most expensive XGP service – Ultimate. This can be disadvantageous to not only Xbox fans but the many millions of gamers out there who have yet to discover and subscribe to Xbox Game Pass.

As for those who have been XGP subscribers since at least a year ago, they are still enjoying the access to the above-mentioned heavy hitters while paying the same old monthly rate as before. If they stop subscribing now, they will lose their privileges and if they decide to return to the service with the same experience as before, they will have to subscribe to XGP Ultimate at $19.99 a month for the Day One access as well as the access to premium games.

Indeed, Xbox Game Pass is changing for the worse. In fact, it could be the first sign of things to come. I’m talking about the future of gaming under Microsoft that could mean the end of Xbox as we know it and Team Xbox becoming a multiplatform game publisher. Microsoft’s love and care for Xbox fans is fading away, and what they’re doing could turn off potential new gamers related to the changing demographics of the world.

This screenshot from Red Dead Redemption II should remind you that Microsoft is aiming at the wrong direction with regards to its video gaming strategy. Imagine being part of Team Xbox receiving orders from Microsoft’s top management that don’t make much sense with regards to gaming and the interests of the players.

If you plan to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass at all, start doing your research carefully before deciding to subscribe. Click https://www.xbox.com/en-US/xbox-game-pass

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Note: Cover photo sourced from Xbox.com

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Have you subscribed to Xbox Game Pass (XGP) yet? I encourage you to do it!

Have you subscribed to Xbox Game Pass (XGP) yet? I encourage you to do it!

carlocarrasco

There is no doubt that Xbox Game Pass (XGP), a subscription service that allows customers access to lots of games for their enjoyment in return for paying a flat monthly fee, is here to stay. I myself have been subscribing to XGP since I started playing my Xbox Series X console and I can confirm to you readers that I’ve been playing a whole lot of games while saving myself a lot of money.

Along the way, I am constantly having a whole lot of fun as an XGP subscriber and I am look forward to playing highly anticipated new games like Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes, Starfield (Xbox-exclusive) and Forza Motorsport (2023) (Xbox-exclusive) through the service in 2023! And then there are many, many other games from other game publishers – including the small and independent game makers – who signed up with Team Xbox to add their games for XGP subscribers to enjoy!

This week alone, several games will debut on Xbox Game Pass which should interest gamers who love adventure, first-person shooters, narrative gaming, mysteries, puzzles, tactical gaming, golf, ice hockey and more! Check out the new XGP additions in the Xbox.com article and also be reminded that enjoyable games such as As Dusk Falls, Deathloop and  Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch Remastered are now available in the service.

Watch out for Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes on XGP in 2023.
Starfield alone should attract a lot more people to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass.
Have you played this acclaimed JRPG yet? It’s now available on XGP!
As Dusk Falls is a great narrative-driven game to play on Xbox Game Pass.

As I mentioned earlier, Xbox Game Pass is here to stay and its credibility as a stable and growing form of business cannot be dismissed. To understand the business aspect of XGP, there is this in-depth article published by Windows Central. Posted below is an excerpt from the article with some parts in boldface…

Flying in the face of traditional gaming revenue models, with Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft is offering thousands upon thousands of dollars’ worth of content for $10 dollars a month. It’s potentially even cheaper if you factor in the upcoming Xbox Game Pass Friends & Family accounts as well. 

In any case, Xbox Game Pass isn’t going anywhere. I’ve seen analysts and pundits rally around the idea that the service must be burning through cash hand over fist in order to offer the value it does, and that may still be true. But as noticed by Tweaktown, we now have a glimpse at roughly how much revenue Xbox Game Pass is actually generating. 

Microsoft is currently trying to get its massive Xbox Activision Blizzard merger through regulatory bodies around the globe. In order to make its legal arguments, certain data points Microsoft typically doesn’t share with its shareholders publicly is making its way into the public domain, as a result of these discussions. It turns out that Xbox Game Pass is making a fair bit of dosh. 

According to Brazil’s regulatory body CADE, Xbox Game Pass’ revenue from subscriptions stands at $2.9 billion dollars in the fiscal period ending January 2021. Tweaktown noted that it accounts for 18% of Microsoft’s revenue from gaming for that fiscal year, which would have put Xbox Game Pass subscribers at around the 18-19 million mark. The last official figure we got on Xbox Game Pass subscribers came last January, where Redmond revealed it had hit 25 million users. 

It should be noted, however, that this figure only includes users on the console versions of Xbox Game Pass, with PC Game Pass figures omitted. It’s also hard to know the exact breakdown of this revenue figure. Does it include purchases of games in the post-Game Pass discount period? Does it include microtransactional sales and in-game content sales for titles that are in Xbox Game Pass? Or is it representative purely of the subscriber figures across Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, which are $10 and $15 apiece? 

No matter how loud and emotional the Xbox-hating gamers out there get, it cannot be denied that Xbox Game Pass is a tremendous value-for-money subscription service for those who own Xbox consoles, Windows PC and – by extension – mobile devices. Already, several games from Xbox-controlled Bethesda have been added into XGP (and sibling PC Game Pass) which is the positive result of the publisher’s integration into Microsoft’s gaming division. For these factors alone, it is sensible and right to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass now.

XGP will become even greater once Microsoft’s seismic acquisition of Activision Blizzard finally closes! Recently the regulators of Brazil approved the deal without restrictions and that alone should make the arrogant PlayStation executives at Sony desperate and worried. The Brazilian regulators declared that Sony can compete without Call of Duty (COD) games from Activision.

Even though they have great 1st party game studios that produced several exclusive blockbusters, Team PlayStation under Jim Ryan is very worried about the acquisition because their business benefited so much by depending on Activision’s Call of Duty games (note: remember the last time you played a new Killzone game from Sony?). Ryan and the PlayStation executives know their current contracts with Activision will eventually expire and certainly there will be no more extensions under Microsoft-controlled Activision Blizzard. It is also clear to me that Team PlayStation is very afraid of the idea that Call of Duty games and other Activision Blizzard games will come to Xbox Game Pass and PC Game Pass. Simply put, Team PlayStation is way, way behind competing with XGP on the subscription service model of business.

In concluding this article, posted below for your enjoyment are Xbox-related videos.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Xbox Game Pass (XGP) choices for February 2022

Xbox Game Pass (XGP) choices for February 2022

carlocarrasco

I am a subscriber of Xbox Game Pass (XGP) and I’ve been enjoying lots of games on my Xbox Series X. For the month of February 2022, there are new additions announced recently by Team Xbox and already three of them have just been officially released (February 3, 2022) through the service for subscribers to enjoy. There are also DLC updates as well as perks for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (XGPU) subscribers.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the February 1, 2022 announcement on Xbox.com written by XGP Community Lead Megan Spurr…

Contrast (Cloud and Console) ID@Xbox – February 3 – Explore a dreamlike, vaudevillian world of the 1920s, in which you can shift freely in and out of shadow. Tasked with helping a young girl named Didi, you will unravel the mysteries behind her troubled family and the dark secrets that must be exposed to re-shape her future.

Dreamscaper (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 3 – An endlessly replayable action roguelike with a waking/dreaming gameplay cycle. By night, delve deep into your subconscious, facing nightmares in an ever-changing world filled with unique items, abilities, and challenges. By day, explore the city of Redhaven, build relationships and unlock permanent upgrades to take on the next dream stronger than ever.

Telling Lies (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 3 – An investigative thriller game with non-linear storytelling, Telling Lies revolves around a cache of secretly recorded video conversations. Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Alexandra Shipp, Kerry Bishé, Angela Sarafyan, and directed by Sam Barlow, creator of Her Story and writer/designer of Silent Hill: Shattered Memories.

Besiege (Game Preview)(Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 10 – Besiege is a physics building game where you construct war machines to obliterate fortresses, annihilate legions of soldiers, navigate hazards, and solve physics puzzles. In the single-player campaign, you’ll conquer your way through four distinct islands, each with its own theme, packed with fully destructible levels and see you bring your enemies to their knees. Learn more about Besiege (Game Preview)here!

CrossfireX (Console) – February 10 – Available on day one with Xbox Game Pass: Play the first CrossfireX single-player campaign, Operation: Catalyst, developed in partnership with Remedy Entertainment. Take control of a Global Risk unit, as they traverse through enemy territory to save their captured teammate and uncover the dark secrets of the Black List Mercenary group.

Edge of Eternity (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 10 – Available on day one with Game Pass: Wage epic turn-based battles as you follow Daryon and Selene on their quest to find a cure to the all-consuming Corrosion in this grand tale of hope and sacrifice, created by a small team of passionate JRPG lovers.

Skul: The Hero Slayer (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 10 – Skul is a fast-paced action rogue-lite where losing your head is encouraged. Featuring 100 playable characters each with their own unique abilities and a ton of items that can create wild synergies, the battles are as electrifying as they are challenging.

The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Cloud, Console, and PC) – February 10 – Battle hordes of zombies and monsters in The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom, a semi-open world action RPG that tells a new story in the post-apocalyptic town of Wakefield. Playing as teen survivors Jack, Quint, June, or Dirk, you’ll explore zombie-infested streets on your quest to stop Malondre, a powerful adversary from obtaining the Staff of Doom.

Ark: Ultimate Survivor Edition (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 14 – Experience everything that the Ark franchise has to offer with Game Pass in this definitive collection! Tame and ride primeval creatures as you explore savage lands, team up with other players to compete in epic tribal battles, and travel together on the greatest dinosaur-filled adventure of all time.

Infernax (Cloud, Console, and PC) ID@Xbox – February 14 – Available on day one with Game Pass: Infernax is the adventures of a great knight who returns to his homeland only to find it plagued with unholy magic. While on your quest to find and destroy the source of this corruption by any means necessary, you will face ruthless creatures, dangerous beasts, and precarious terrains.

The Xbox.com article also confirmed that there will be games leaving the Xbox Game Pass service on February 15. Those games are Control, Code Vein, Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, The Medium, Project Winter and The Falconeer. If you are an XGP subscriber and you have not played those games on your Xbox console, now is the time to download what titles interest you the most.

Going back to the games for XGP this month, CrossfireX, Contrast and Edge of Eternity are the most interesting to me. Contrast is an old game made by Xbox game studio Compulsion Games which was released many years ago when the said developer was still independent. I completely missed out on Contrast back then and the opportunity to try the game without paying anything extra is a welcome move. Edge of Eternity is a fantasy role-playing game that was clearly influenced by Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs). It was released on Windows PC in 2021 and being added on XGP (apart from being scheduled for release on multiple platforms on February 10) will surely interest Xbox gamers who love JRPGs.

In closing this piece, posted below are Xbox-related videos plus for your viewing pleasure.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at  @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/

Xbox strategies taking shape with Microsoft’s full support and strong dedication!

Xbox strategies taking shape with Microsoft’s full support and strong dedication!

carlocarrasco

We are just days away from the highly anticipated Xbox-Bethesda games showcase! Very recently, Team Xbox emphasized further its overall strategy of delivering interactive entertainment that goes way beyond the traditional model of selling consoles and games, and behind it all they have the full support of Microsoft itself!

Let’s start with the special presentation involving both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Xbox chief Phil Spencer. Watch the video and listen very closely.

“Gaming is fundamentally aligned and woven in our mission as a company,” Satya Nadella said. “When you talk about Xbox’s mission to bring the joy and community of gaming to everyone on the planet, which I absolutely love, this is precisely what I think of when we think about Microsoft’s mission, which is to empower every person, every organization on the planet to achieve more. As a company, Microsoft’s all-in on gaming.”

Microsoft’s CEO confirmed that the corporation has indeed gone all in for Team Xbox and this is clearly a radical change compared to what happened in the previous console generation when the team was not a true priority for the corporation.

When it was a non-priority within the corporation’s hierarchy, Team Xbox was severely limited in producing first-party exclusives, severely limited in making big-time partnerships with other game developers/publishers, and designed a very flawed console with Xbox One. The result was a doomed 8th console generation (or the 3rd Xbox console generation) and the Xbox One sold much less than Xbox 360 worldwide and could not match the high number of exclusive games on Sony’s PlayStation 4 (PS4). Phil Spencer did what he could since taking over as Team Xbox chief.

That is all in the past now! With the full support of Microsoft and with Phil Spencer and his team now a clear priority for the corporation, Team Xbox has a lot of momentum moving forward in this 9th console generation. Mega publisher Bethesda has been integrated into Team Xbox and there will be Bethesda-produced exclusive games that gamers with Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Windows PC can look forward to. With 23 game developers under the Xbox Game Studios umbrella, several 1st party exclusives are already being produced like Avowed (plus the expected The Outer Worlds franchise) from Obsidian Entertainment, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II from Ninja Theory, the next-generation Forza Motorsport game from Turn 10 Studios and Perfect Dark from The Initiative to name a few. When it comes to paid subscription services, it was reported that Xbox Game Pass (XGP) subscribers reached 18,000,000+ and right now Sony and Nintendo have no serious services of their own to compete with it. I should also mention Team Xbox is continuing with plans of acquisitions of game developers.

With the forward momentum clear, we can now take a look at the strategies as published in Xbox.com written by Xbox Wire Editor-in-Chief Will Tuttle. Some parts in boldface…

Xbox Game Pass is Changing the Way We Discover, Connect, and Play

  • Xbox Game Pass members play 30% more genres and play 40% more games. And more than 90% of members said they played a game that they would not have tried without Game Pass.
  • On average across the Game Pass library, partners see engagement go up by more than 8x when they enter Game Pass.
  • Whether it’s purchasing games inside or outside of what’s available in the library, or purchasing additional content for the games they like, members spend 50% more than non-members.
  • Xbox Game Pass has become a true discovery engine, a platform for connection and community, and is driving game sales. New insights we’re sharing today include:
    • Since we started our partnership with EA Play in Game Pass Ultimate, our players have been engaging with EA’s subscription service in a significant way. Compared to before the integration, EA Play has seen record usage on Microsoft platforms, driving hours played on these platforms up by more than 200%. As a result, EA’s incredible portfolio of games has reached and gained millions of new fans on the Xbox platform.
    • The new Square Enix game Outriders is in Game Pass and was also the selling digital game on Xbox during its launch week and a top 10 selling digital game on Xbox in the month of April. Game Pass helped introduce millions of players to the game.
    • During launch week, MLB: The Show 21 was the biggest sports game of the past year on Xbox and the second biggest sports game of all time on Xbox. Game Pass added millions of new fans and grew Major League Baseball’s player base significantly. MLB: The Show 21 was also the selling paid game on Xbox for the month of April. 

Xbox and Xbox Game Pass are Coming to More Screens

  • Xbox is working with global TV manufacturers to embed the Xbox experience directly into internet-connected televisions with no extra hardware required except a controller.
  • Xbox is exploring new subscription offerings for Xbox Game Pass so more players around the world can experience the most immersive and fun games across devices, geographies, and financial realities.
  • Xbox is working with telecommunications providers on new purchasing models like Xbox All Access, which allows consumers to buy both a console and Game Pass for a low monthly price, rather than spending money up front.
  • Xbox is building its own streaming devices for cloud gaming to reach gamers on any TV or monitor without the need for a console at all.
  • Cloud gaming through Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will launch in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan later this year.
  • In the next few weeks, cloud gaming on the browser will open to all Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members. With Edge, Chrome, and Safari support, players will be a click away from gaming on almost any device. 
  • We’re in the final stages of updating our Microsoft datacenters around the world with our latest generation of hardware, the Xbox Series X. This means gamers will see faster load times, improved frame rates, and experience Xbox Series X|S optimized games.
  • Later this year, we’ll add cloud gaming directly into the Xbox app on PC and integrate it into our console experience to light up scenarios like try before you download. 

An Incredible Pipeline of Games

  • With more than 23 studios worldwide creating games for Xbox, our goal is to release at least one new, first party game into Game Pass every quarter. Role playing games, shooters, strategy titles, adventure games, and more are all being built by our first party teams to ensure that there is a steady stream of compelling exclusive content to explore.
  • Our independent developer program ID@Xbox has earned developers over $2B dollars since the program’s inception, with over 2000 titles launched and many more on the way. This model is now being used for ID@Azure, allowing independent devs to build cloud-based experiences. These programs bring new voices from diverse backgrounds into the world of game development.
Xbox Game Pass is leading the way when it comes to paid subscription services on video games and it will be made more available to gamers around the world, including those who cannot afford an Xbox console.

Whew! That was an overload of details above! As the Xbox-Bethesda event on June 13 is focused on games (and possible studio acquisition announcements), it makes sense for Team Xbox to make clear what their strategies are and what developments are happening.

To examine the above information, Microsoft is taking Xbox and Xbox Game Pass to newer heights that the traditional model of selling consoles (hardware) and games cannot reach. The Xbox-Windows connectivity has been re-emphasized and it has indeed been working for XGP users who are paying $15 a month. Moving forward, Xbox will be integrated into smart TVs/HDTVs (connected to the Internet) and the only hardware needed is the Xbox controller. Once Microsoft’s deals with telecommunication firms have been finalized, consumers can buy a console (most likely Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X for gamers who want high-end experiences) and XGP through Xbox All Access and pay it all on a monthly basis (this will spare consumers from the trouble of paying so much for a new Xbox console at retail). This also shows the benefits of subscribing over doing over-the-counter retail transactions. Furthermore, the Xbox ecosystem will eventually become more accessible to many millions more gamers (who cannot afford consoles) through their Internet-connected HDTVs/smart TVs using streaming devices with cloud functionality.

Think about all those highly ambitious strategies and how they can eventually positive impact interactive entertainment and even expand video gaming as we know it. Nintendo and the PlayStation team at Sony (hey Jim Ryan, are you still learning yet?) did not anticipate this latest barrage by Team Xbox, nor have they formulated new ways to enhance the gaming experience and attracting many more consumers who cannot afford game consoles.

Whether you like it or not, Team Xbox is clearly pushing hard with its plan to reach many millions more consumers around the world without being limited by the traditional console business model. Consumers will be offered a lot of choices as to how they want to play games via Xbox and how they want to enter the Xbox ecosystem based on their respective financial standings and purchasing power. Consumers also love being offered multiple options which Nintendo and Sony seem to ignore. It seems the Japanese traditions of doing video game business set Nintendo and Sony back.

The consumer can become the center of gaming with Xbox Game Pass Ultimate!

Let me ask you readers: Are the new strategies by Team Xbox look exciting or complicated to you? Are you a gamer who wants to enjoy high-definition gaming at home without the hassle of buying a new console? Do you prefer to acquire an Xbox Series X through a subscription with your telecommunication provider? If you are running a retailing joint selling video game hardware and software, what do you think about the newest Xbox strategies announced?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

To watch the Xbox & Bethesda Games Showcase on June 13, posted below are the links for your reference.

In closing this article, posted below are Xbox-related videos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com