The world's oldest profession has changed a lot over the centuries in order to keep up with new technology trends, so it really shouldn't come as a surprise that it's now possible to hire a woman (known as a "PlayDate" in this context) to join you in Microsoft's Xbox Live for six minutes of Halo 3 or Grand Theft Auto IV at $1.10 per minute via the GameCrush service.  My pal Joey Davidson breaks it all down over at Kombo. 

Gamers can head to GameCrush and browse profiles filled with softcore pictures of each of the PlayDates available for purchase. They'll then be able to choose from a few Flash games or, currently, four titles from the 360 library: Modern Warfare 2, Gears of War 2, Halo 3 and Grand Theft Auto IV (The site is looking to add PS3, Wii and PC games in the future). It's as filthy as it sounds.

Certainly the PlayDates (any attractive female can become one) might feel their worth fill their purses as GameCrush polishes off some sort of commission. But from the eyes of an outsider, those two parties are the only ones that truly "win" in this scenario. A gamer looking for companionship will subject themselves to a different form of phone sex in order to gain a fleeting conversation with an attractive peer. Appealing to some, downright disgusting to others.

The gaming community takes enough crap from the mainstream without muck like GameCrush hurting the image further.  This service is practically shouting out to be the subject of a quick two-minute blurb on CNN or Fox News in which the whole point is to look down on adult single men who enjoy video games.  As I work my way through the dating world, I find that my gaming interests have become a disadvantage (studies say that women are gaming now more than ever, but a real world sampling in my area isn't holding to that), and I really do not need this kind of trash dragging down perceptions of my hobby further.