Indiana Residents Get Caught Up in Xbox Live Experience.

Byline: Jack Naudi

Dec. 31--Brian Mahone and Tim Smith don't think of themselves as technology pioneers. They just like playing video games.

But the Indianapolis residents, who don't know one another, are among a growing group of gamers who have turned to the Internet. And in the process, both have become diehard Microsoft Xbox Live players.

Mahone, a 33-year-old Marion County sheriff's detective, was a beta-tester for Xbox Live, meaning he offered opinions to Microsoft about the Internet gaming experience before it was marketed in November to all consumers.

Mahone had tried out another online gaming system and was far from impressed. The graphics were slow and …