I never grew up with console games. As a kid all the video games I ever played were on a Gameboy Color (at first), Gameboy Advance (later), and my home computer. The key difference between these and any console game is the use of a hand-held controller. Familiarity with a controller is everything when playing a console game.

I was hanging out with friends Saturday night when we decided to play Halo 3. I admitted right up front that I had never played a console game before, never mind the latest and greatest first person shooter for the Xbox 360. If I hadn't told them though they would have figured it out in the first minute or so of game play. The Xbox 360 controller requires the coordinated use of two joysticks--one for movement, the other for line-of-sight. If you've grown up a console gamer, or if you've been one for any length of time, this coordination comes naturally to you. If not, just moving around is a challenge.

There I was, wandering around the map like an epileptic mercenary just trying to find my way around, let alone shoot anyone. At times I was so unaware of what was going on around me that other players would walk right by me without me knowing it. I either got killed or accidentally killed myself roughly every two minutes.

Once I had attained a rudimentary understanding of how to maneuver and navigate (after about two hours of playing) I had to get a basic feel of the other eight key buttons on the controller (four on the top right, four on the front) that handled everything else, from changing weapons to throwing grenades to shooting. This was a lot easier to pick up. The biggest buttons are the most important ones, so it was easy to keep track. Still, I did do some things on accident, like reloading when I wanted to change weapons or ejecting out of a plane when I wanted to shoot. In the last round we played that night I managed to accumulate three kills: two by sniper rifle and one by using a mounted turret gun (both easier to get the hang of because you remain stationary and only use one joystick to point at where you're shooting).

I was getting better, but three kills is nothing to brag about when it takes twenty-five to win a round when playing against friends.

Matt, the venerable owner of the Xbox 360, decided he was going to take me under his wing to help me become more familiar with the game. He decided that the best way to learn how to kill would be to team up with me and play the campaign set on an "easy" difficulty level.

For three and a half hours on Sunday night we played. During that time I was exposed to every kind of vehicle, from warthogs to tanks, and every kind of weapon, from swords to rocket launchers. I picked up a sense of intuitiveness as to what are the best weapons to equip, and how to use the right one on any given situation. I could now go in shooting with a rifle but, when a group of enemies started coming toward me, switch to a grenade launcher. I learned to double-wield two hand-held guns and which combinations of guns were best to double-wield (answer: two plasma guns because they're fully automatic and don't require reloading). I even managed to pick up on a few tricks of my own, like throwing a grenade into the face of someone who's trying to run you over (coughMattcough).

Now the next time we all hang out and decide to play Halo 3, I will no longer simply be cannon fodder. I will be a mild to moderate threat to those around me--or at least I'll be able to avoid those embarrassing accidental suicides.