Life can be hard when you're a newbie. Now, I'm sure many of you are saying something along the lines of "Hmph, I was never a n00b," or "Stupid newbies, I hate them so much," but think back to your earliest days on Xbox Live. At some point, you were probably an albatross around your Rainbow Six 3 squad's proverbial neck, acting as nothing more than cannon fodder for your superior foes. Or what about the time when you accidentally shot down a few of your teammates during a heated game of Crimson Skies, simply because you hadn't completely learned the controls yet?

If you're sick of getting chewed out by exasperated teammates every time your stray bullets end up in one of their heads, it might be time for you to check out Monday's R&R Nights on Xbox Live. Previously called Casual Game Night, R&R Nights are part of the service's Prime Time Programming, and were set up by Major Nelson, the Director of Programming for Xbox Live, as a way for new players to get accustomed to the ins and outs of playing Xbox games online, without having to deal with the name-calling from the ultracompetitive jerks you may frequently find on the service.

Getting started is a simple process: just go on to Microsoft's Prime Time Programming Forums, find someone who is playing the game you're looking for, then either add their gamertag to your friends list or reply to their message with one of your own (be sure to include your 'tag!). Or, if you don't see anyone playing what you'd like, post your own message if you're willing to host a game, and you're bound to quickly get a few responses. I tried it both ways, and I was amazed to find myself playing the game with some truly cool people within 20 minutes of hitting the forums. Also, even though Monday night is the time when R&R is a featured attraction, you can hook up some good games at any time on the forums.


Instead of spending my time sorting through random servers full of guys who either spent every waking moment playing Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow, or simply used the game as a platform to spout their vitriolic messages of hate (I know, I'm a bit melodramatic), I got to enjoy my free time playing with some smart, funny people who, while caring about winning or losing, didn't make it feel like a life or death affair. The game isn't just full of inexperienced newbies, either. There were some excellent players in the games, but instead of belittling the new guys for their lack of skills, they gave them pointers and tips, which made the experience more rewarding for everyone. If people enjoy their time on Live, they'll come back for more, and we'll all get to have more fun.

Best of all, R&R Night is only one of the features in the week of Prime Time Programming. Tuesday is Old School Night, a time to dust off some of your older Live-enabled games like MechAssault and Unreal Championship, while Wednesday evening gives you a chance to Race to the Weekend with titles like Project Gotham Racing and RalliSport Challenge 2. For those of you who want to try out the new games you bought earlier in the week, Thursday's New Releases Night will give you a chance to take everyone on in the system's latest and greatest titles (surprise, surprise, Rainbow Six 3: Black Arrow is everyone's current favorite), and shooters are the name of the game on First-Person Fraggin' Friday.