Army to spend $50 million on training games
The Army has a history of using computer games for training simulations. Due to the technology being a bit outdated, the Army is looking to revamp the game technology and system so that it can utilize more possibilities to so that the soldiers can be better prepared to survive real-life occurrences. According to BizJournal, this revamping as well as development of more training computer games will cost the army $50 million. While the simulation can be helpful, some manners of training actually work better than others.
An example is that for some situational training, paintball is used with simulated explosives in an area modeled to look like where a soldier might end up getting deployed. In some cases it really wouldn’t work quite as well as the simulation but in other cases, it makes things a lot closer to the real-life combat situation. Training like this has been brought up in different books including Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon, which had input from military personnel, active and retired alike.
Game-based training is not new. America’s Army, for example, came out partially as a recruiting ploy and also a game showing the rigors of service. Full Spectrum Warrior is based on an actual urban training game for light infantry groups. There are other such games for the National Guard as well. Kuma War puts you in the shoes of a soldier in the current combat theaters to use tried and proven strategies as well as your own. Even in Tom Clancy’s book Rainbow Six, it takes some time in a training simulator that is essentially Virtual Reality.
This will, unlike America’s Army, be used specifically for the purposes of training today’s soldiers. There are similar games already, one titled DARWARS Ambush, that have been developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In the case of DARWARS Ambush, it focuses mainly on how to handle and minimize casualties in roadside ambushes that use explosives used to target convoy vehicles.
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty brought up some problems with the use of games for training as well. The question is whether or not war turning to a video game will be the right option. There is merit to the idea, since it makes things easier especially if the simulation happens to look just as realistic as reality. That also happens to be the drawback since war isn’t supposed to be easy.
The issue with this is one that is open to the interpretation of whoever looks at it. Some people will see it as a good thing. Others would be seeing this as a gross misuse of state funds. Then again, one would have to see the results before complaining about it.
Read [Washington Business Journal] Also Read [Gamertell] Also Read [DARWARS Training System]
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I foresee a day when all wars will take place on computers. There will be no need for human life to be spared. An army of robots and machinery could easily take control of an area and keep humans at bay.
on December 2, 2008 at 04:03 PM - LINKIt’s ugly and unpredictable. At least with war as it is now, there is a cost and it makes war the last option of many leaders. Now it’s a regrettable decision for many leaders. With war as a game, it’ll become a common factor of everyday life. If anything goes wrong since war will become such a common place, no one would really care. Basic psychology.
on December 2, 2008 at 05:17 PM - LINK