Frequently Asked Questions

What is GameStrata all about?

At GameStrata, we figure most video game players are in need of something a bit more new and refreshing. Likewise, we feel the same pain as each and every gamer out there each time we roll up to the counter and pay $60 for a new game. So, why not make those 60 bucks go a little further? Why not build something that is new and cool and not just regurgitate the same old news and game review you can get elsewhere. So, have at it, this is your community. Check some stats, brag to your buddies, laugh at someone, challenge someone else, ask some questions – just make sure you have more time to play the games you love.

Do I have to register to use GameStrata?

No. Well, sort of. Ok, the real answer there is ‘no’. You don’t have to register to browse users’ public profiles, check other users’ stats, scope out the leaderboards or similar. But, if you want to add your stats to your profile, you need to register to do that. Likewise, if you want to answer some questions in GS Answers or if you want to ask some questions, you will need to register to do that as well.

How does GameStrata get the game statistics?

Ah, this is secret sauce. Just assume that we work tooth and nail to get the information we are passing along to our users. Its not easy being ninjas but we do our best.

Why doesn’t GameStrata support all my games?

See above! In reality, we would love to track statistics for every popular game out there (hopefully one day we will!). However, the process to enable stat tracking from inside a game is not terribly easy. Rest assured, if we don’t have a game you are playing right now, we will likely have one soon enough. If there is a game you want us to track, send us an email to gamepetition@gamestrata.com, we’d love to know what games you think would be cool to have stats for.

What do I do if I think my stats are incorrect?

In this case, email us immediately. There are a lot of moving parts in the process to preset this content to our users. If there is something wrong with your profile data, there could be something wrong with other’s profile data as well. We will investigate immediately. If you found a big bug, we might hire you…consider yourself forewarned.

Can I have more then one MyStrata page?

You can have one MyStrata (GameStrata profile) page per email account. Likewise, you can only map one unique gamer ID (gamertag) per supported game to your MyStrata profile. Thus, if you play a supported game with multiple gamer ID’s, you CAN NOT map both of these to the same GameStrata account/MyStrata profile.

Someone has my gamer ID (gamertag) mapped to his/her MyStrata profile. What do I do?

Ah, yes, someone is ‘squatting’ on your gamer ID. Don’t assume the worst just yet. There are a lot of funky gamer IDs out there and it’s likely just a mix up. If you know that another GameStrata user is using your gamer ID, drop us a quick note at support@gamestrata.com. We have an easy method for resolution to fix the potential problem.

Can I change my MyStrata profile at any time?

Um, yeah. Go ahead, have fun. We will keep rolling out new features to the MyStrata pages so make sure you keep checking back for new content. In the meantime, if you need to alter any of your personal information, click on the ‘MyStrata’ tab on the top navigation (make sure you are logged in) and follow the ‘edit’ or ‘edit my profile’ links on the page.

Can I change my GameStrata username at any time?

Unfortunately, no. Once you registered a GameStrata username and start to build your profile, you cannot change that username. If you need to start over, cancel your account and start fresh.

Can I update my email address?

Of course. See the question up above: “Can I change my MyStrata profile at any time”. It’s important that you keep your email address updated so you may receive friend requests, personal messages, and other notifications from GameStrata.

Why am I not receiving email alerts?

First of all, make sure that you have checked "Receive Message Notifications" and "Receive Comment Notifications" under Edit Profile. If you notice an alert icon next to your email address, that means we weren't able to deliver email to that address and we have temporarily disabled it. Please provide a different address and click "Update" and we will send an email to the new address with a link to validate it.

Can other GameStrata users see my real email address or other contact information such as my address?

No. Your sensitive personal information is hidden from public view. Users should only recognize you from either your GameStrata username or your gamer ID’s on an game-by-game basis (hopefully you can use the same gamer ID’s as your GameStrata username!).

Why can’t I ask/answer a question in GameStrata Answers?

Only 3 reasons as to why you would not be able to ask or answer some questions: 1) You are not registered with GameStrata, 2) You are not currently logged in, or 3) You have already answered this question before. Oh wait, there is the ‘knucklehead’ excuse to: If you are trying to answer your OWN QUESTION, you are a knucklehead. Use the forums in that case!

What is the general guidelines for GameStrata Answers?

In order to keep our community nice and peaceful, please follow our guidelines when asking or answering a question.

GameStrata reserves the right to pull any Question or Answer we deem not to fit into our guidelines. If we suspect slanderous activity, we will promptly remove offending content and reserve the right to terminate accounts if we witness violatioins of our Terms of Service.

Who is this space invader-looking like dude on the site?

Someone called him “Happy” once, so we are sticking to it. We have “Evil” to, maybe you’ll see him soon.

Why can I not use the Forum section of GameStrata?

You have to be registered (or logged in) to do that. If you are a registered user, simply log in and you are good to go. If you are not registered, you know what you need to to…

What can/do I put in the About Me section of the MyStrata profile?

Whatever you’d like other GameStrata users to know about you. Do you love playing first person shooters in the dark? Do you eat pizza ‘crust-first”? Fire up as much information as you like or as little as you like. Unlike other social networking sites, we aren’t going to ask you about your favorite books, your favorite movies, or for your mom’s favorite recipes. However, if you want to put that in your About Me section, go for it.

How do I invite a friend to join GameStrata?

This is pretty simple: Log on to GameStrata, proceed to your MyStrata profile – from here you can either click on the ‘invite friends to GameStrata’ link under the “My Friends” section or you do it from the ‘edit profile’ links. If that doesn’t work, try this link: http://beta.gamestrata.com/invite

How come not all of my friends are displayed on the leaderboard ‘friend graph’?

Right now, we only feature your top 5 friends of a particular game. We have a few features we will rollout in the upcoming weeks that should add more functionality to the leaderboards and similar applications.

Why does my avatar look funky?

First, ask yourself if the avatar is a picture of you. Next, if the avatar is a picture of you, ask yourself if you look funky. If either of those answers are ‘no’ then its likely something else. The avatars on our site are all square. If you upload an image that doesn’t look right, try cropping it down to 125x125 pixels and then upload it.

What is GamerQ and what are the points for?

GamerQ is glue. Huh? Well, its not like Elmer’s glue or a glue stick or similar. We also don’t recommend that you sniff GamerQ. The points are so you can be cool. One would tend to think that once you get a lot of points, you could exchange those points for ‘services’ or ‘goods’. We aren’t even sure ourselves.

How do I earn GamerQ points?

You can earn GamerQ points by doing simple things on the GameStrata site. For example, we chuck you some points just by registering. Likewise, we add a few more if you complete your profile, invite some friends, answer some questions, or similar.

When I go to map my Current Games, my game is not listed there. What do I do?

We have listed a lot of the MOST POPULAR games in the game mapping section. Chances are, we will never have every game ever made listed there. That doesn’t mean we don’t want it there. Shoot us an email to support@gamestrata.com with the name of the title, platform, etc. that you wish us to add and we will see what we can do.

How many games can I add to my Current Games?

Add as many as you like! Most of us can only play about 4-5 games at a time or over a period of time. Others just like to have a long list of games and our gamer ID’s so that people can see what we are up to. Do as you wish, add them all if you really want to.

Can I change my Current Games at any time?

Hell yeah! That’s what you are supposed to do. Add a game, remove a game, update your gamer ID – this is how other gamers can find you in the community. If you don’t have your current games in there, how the hell do you expect that guy who you just gave a headshot to last night to challenge you?

Can everyone see my Friends’ Recent Activity (aka: news feed)?

Nope, only you can see your own feed. Nothing to worry about here, just make sure that if you add a game like Dance Dance Revolution, all your friends that you play Halo 3 with are going to know! And, just so we are clear, there is nothing wrong with a little DDR once in a while.

Why are only 8 of my friends displayed on my MyStrata profile?

We limit the total amount of friends displayed on you MyStrata profile to only 8. However, there is a link below your friends’ avatars where you can link to your profile and see all of your friends.

Can I add other ‘widgets’ to my MyStrata page?

What do you have in mind? Ok, ok… we know the world loves ‘widgets’, we just don’t like most of ‘em. Some are really cool and we agree that some are functional for GameStrata. We can support widgets on users’ MyStrata pages but we’d love to hear from you as to what your desires are. Hit us up at comments@gamestrata.com.

Can my account be terminated?

Indeed. Don’t be misbehavin’, otherwise we may have to block your account or terminate it all together. For reference, review our Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy if you have questions as to what is acceptable and what is not. We expect you to talk a little smack to your friends, just keep it in good taste.