US buys into video gaming to supplement training

[Teo 0]

Take a look at this:

http://www.janes.com/defence/news/jdw/jdw051212_1_n.shtml

This is an extract from a report on Janes.com:

12 December 2005

US buys into video gaming to supplement training

By Dennis Blank JDW Correspondent

Orlando, Florida

The US armed forces are looking to expand their use of video gaming to augment simulations and other training, according to several military leaders.

As many as 100 video games - depicting a wide range of storylines from hand-to-hand combat to commanding a fleet of battle ships - are being actively used by the military to complement existing training programmes.

The Department of Defense (DoD) is spending an estimated USD120 million on evaluating the effectiveness of gaming and creating new ones - a sum dwarfed by the USD7 billion commercial gaming market. However, defence spending in the sector has become serious enough that game manufacturers have put together a formal alliance with the DoD.

However, Michael Freeman, deputy director in the Office of the Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Readiness, said a major issue is how to integrate the games into the overall training. "Our biggest challenges are matching game technologies to training needs and context," he said.

By far the most popular game is 'America's Army', which was created three years ago and has almost four million registered users. It is a squad-based, first-person shooter game consisting of basic training, plus a series of team-based missions that involved special forces operations and combat medical specialties.

[redface 1]

this may sound promising, but previous experience has already taught the OFP-community that such spending doesn't come as institutional support, but rather as a weird mix of contractors and pseudo-companies ready to make quick profit out of other people's work, whilst dodging and neglecting our beloved game companies' own official military training tool (VBS1)

[Placebo 29]

I think this suits OT more than the Flashpoint:Elite forums

[Myst9999 0]

Whose played MGS2? A lesson to be learnt there is that playing videogames doesnt make a soldier.

[shinRaiden 0]

Exactly the point. VBS1 can do A, B, and C out of the box, D would be a simple addon, E needs a bit more lead time, and F, G, and H are launch features of VBS2.

At IITSEC, the Serious Games Summit got thread-jacked to some extent by the academics because the defense community at the lower levels has been buying lots of small purchases of games because "they're cool", "helps hand eye coordination", and "teaches t4ct1cz".

They also pointed out that if you spend 120mil on games, that's 120mil you're not spending on pensions or different training or body armor for that matter. So the question is : "Is it worth it? Is a random grab bag of dissimilar games patched together and band-aided really effective?" (Or is it just a pork payment to the entertainment industry to 'buy them off' so Washington DC can rail against San Andreas?)

VBS on the other hand... You've got a cheap standard platform with loads of modules to train different profiles. It looks and feels the same everywhere, puts the control in the hands of the instructors, and gives you some space to run around in.

[Heatseeker 0]

VBS on the other hand... You've got a cheap standard platform with loads of modules to train different profiles. It looks and feels the same everywhere, puts the control in the hands of the instructors, and gives you some space to run around in.

Has a sim? Or more like a tool? .

I have never considered flashpoint a true sim, perhaps a somewhat tactical and unpredictable game but simulation is not remotely acurate compared with other sims available on the market that focus mainly on one specific area (naval, armor, aircraft..).

Has a tool i find it unbeatable and tremendously valuable though, it has the ability to place units on a virtual, interactive recreation of an area they might be operating in, for familiarisation and tactical practice, pre deploying planning, etc but for simulation purpose .

Being familiar with the limitations of the engine and the fact that onfoot infantry combat is not possible to simulate acurately enough with current technology i think the designation of sim is not very acurate. Atleast not yet..

[Uziyahu--IDF 0]

I disagree. While there are elements missing, such as claymores and melee combat, OFP:CWC's demo accurately simulated my experiences at the Joint Readiness Training Center when it was based at Ft. Chaffee, AR.

EA's "SEAL Team" was considered an infantry sim back in '92. OFP is the first tac-shooter to touch it. Rogue Spear, SWAT 3, and SWAT 4 are sufficiently realistic to be considered simulations for teaching CQB tactics.

Trying to organize that kind of training in real-life comes at considerable expense. There are elements of that training that are inexpensively worked-out on a LAN, such as communication, fire and movement, and teamwork.

Yes, there is always room for improvement, but even something with graphics of the caliber of "SEAL Team" can be called a simulation. I was in an Army Blackhawk simulator that had graphics that resembled Enemy Engaged. Anything is better than nothing, because you can do in a sim things that cost more and are far more dangerous.

Before sims, coaches talked about "visualizing" making the basketball swish through the hoop. We no longer need to visualize success. We can "virtualize" it.

[Heatseeker 0]

Ever felt curious about whats out there, we are all familiar with "games" and some flight sims but the army uses much more advanced technology.

A not so new but interesting article here, i could spend days searching and reading about this stuff .

edit: ..and then you catch an interesting name, google it..

 http://www.es.com/solutions/groung-warfare.asp and find something really interesting like this little video and interesting number of pics and feature lists, very cool imo, anyone got some spare millions .

[deanosbeano 0]

agreed heatseeker.

for sim real sims see here

would love to know what the guy firing law/at is from

[Heatseeker 0]

More goodies for the army, some similarities with the OPF graphics engine can be seen in some pics.. dont miss out the trailer .

Another interesting article about convoy/vehical simulation.