Army Opens New Front: Video Game Development
Army Opens New Front: Video Game Development
November 24, 2008
Stars & Stripes reports that the U.S. Army will sink $50 million into training-oriented video games. The project will launch in 2010. There's even a new unit devoted to the ambitious project.
Lt. Col. Gary Stephens told Stars & Stripes that the Army will be keeping tabs on developments in the game biz, but doesn't plan to compete there: The Army takes this seriously. We own gaming for the Army — from requirements through procurement... We don’t have the intent to become a competitor with the commercial gaming industry.
In addition, the Army plans to award a contract in the next few weeks for what sounds like a fabuloulsy cool mod of current FPS gameware:
The new game — dubbed "Game After Ambush" — will be an off-the-shelf commercial product that comes with tools that will allow the Army to make almost any modification necessaryto terrain, scenarios, missions, etc....
Col. Mark McManigal, the capabilities manger for gaming under the Training and Doctrine Command, said the selected game must provide low-cost training and must not require large number of technicians to run. It must also have a play-back function for after-action reviews, he said...
the Army will have 70 gaming systems in 53 locations in the United States, Germany, Italy and South Korea between February and September 2009... Soldiers will be able to drive virtual vehicles, fire virtual weapons, pilot virtual unmanned aerial vehicles... in a virtual battle space as large as 100 kilometers by 100 kilometers, she said.
A PUBLICATION OF THE ECA
SUBSCRIBE
LOGINGamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:27pm
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
ZippyDSMlee: man I got alot of junk and dup files too >< god I need orginization...and no not the knee capping media mafia kind :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:26pm
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
ZippyDSMlee: replaced :P
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:23pm
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
ZippyDSMlee: beemoh:hey its like 60GB porn,400GB anime 100GB games and crap I have took from all my DVDs, I hate waiting on dvds to install stuff..... oh and 40GB of my porn was in the found.000 folder...mostly corrupted.... least I got names of wut needs to be repa
Posted 11/07/09 at 04:18pm
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
beemoh: @Zip: ...and you'd have to spend all that time re-downloading that porn?
Posted 11/07/09 at 03:34pm
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
ZippyDSMlee: ggrrrrr......vista lost one of my hard drives and I had a heart attack thinking I lost 1TB of data....
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:58am
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
JDKJ: Which could be explained by both (a) and (b).
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:56am
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Austin_Lewis: JDKJ: You forgot C) the fact that, for some reason, every time he did something that would suggest he shouldn't be in the military, let alone an officer, higher ups ignored it or let it slide.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:51am
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
JDKJ: Part of the problem is, I believe, that (a) the Army had a lot of time and money already invested in him and which they were unwilling to simply write-off and (b) an increasing need for the type of skills and services he provided.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:48am
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
JDKJ: And that even if he was begging not to get cut loose, he was apparently a real good candidate for being cut loose, anyway.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:11am
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
JDKJ: @chada: And while Kennedy once noted that there's usually more than enough blame for everyone to get a slice, the possibility that the Army was unwilling to cut loose someone who was asking to get cut loose could be a factor.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:07am
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
ZippyDSMlee: *noms on his feet*..nomnomnomnom*droooll* ...wuuutttttt uuu looking at?
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:05am
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
JDKJ: I'm no psychologist, but I'm told that crazy people have a tendency to do crazy things.
Posted 11/07/09 at 10:03am
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
chadachada321: Whoops, was out of the convo for awhile. I do wonder what type of ammo he used etc, but the real issue is WHY he did it, not HOW
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:56am
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
JDKJ: But if it turns out that they actually did, they'll have Hell to pay.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:45am
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
JDKJ: And I'd tend to rule out the possibilty of FN Herstal supplying restricted ammunition to someone merely because they're ordering it from a military base.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:37am
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
JDKJ: I know you don't leave your gated community and get around much in dark alleys, so you may be surprised to learn that there's this thing called "the black market" where, if you've got enough money, ain't too much of anything which can't be bought.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:36am
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Austin_Lewis: Or, maybe he or someone else at the base ordered the SS190 from FN Herstal.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:32am
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Austin_Lewis: the hands of private owners. They run about 300 dollars minimum for a box of 50, and boxes of AP 5.7 are extremely scarce, mainly residing in the hands of Class III stores or individuals who for one reason or another got a demo box of it.
Posted 11/07/09 at 09:30am
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Austin_Lewis: There are other firearms that fire the 5.7. However, I too would like to know where he got the ammo and what kind was used. Maybe Hasan, planning not to live through this, went out and bought one the boxes of SS190 that are floating around in
Posted 11/07/09 at 08:44am
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
JDKJ: And it isn't yet clear what type of ammunition Hasan used. It's strange that he purchased a gun but didn't purchase ammunition for it at the same place and time. Especially because the calibre required is peculiar to the actual gun.
Copyright © 2007 ECA. All rights reserved.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
This sounds more like team building than training, taking war games into VR.
I think Solid Snake called this one in MGS2. Jokes notwithstanding, I see this as both good and bad for the military. On the one hand, it's a cost effective and safe way to train soldiers, from the grunt to the commander. On the other, it's less effective and presents even more of a realistic detachment than basic in-the-field training. Though, kickass games for the private sector? I'll take it, regardless of recruitment messages.
********************
"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor, and the contrary opinion is wishful thinking at its worst."
[SolidSnakeImpersonation]
On the battlefield you don't have time for simulators. Whatever you learn and practice on the field are your best skills.
[/SolidSnakeImpersonation]
Solid Snake FTW!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Game on, brothers and sisters." -Leet Gamer Jargon
Haha, I was offered a position working on that... before it was even an official project... should have taken in, but I was required to serve in the Air Force for 4 years. Wouldn't have been a bad deal.
---
Nido Web Flash Tutorials AS2 and AS3 Tutorials for anyone interested.
How to set Xbox 360 Parental Controls
oh i give it 5 minutes before JT comes on here spouting cr*p like:
"see this is PROOF games train killers!"
or something more sarcastic like " Oh.. so the army can train soldiers, but games could never train anybody... right.? "
well JT let me ask you this. IF GTA and other games train people 'so well' , then why the heck is the army investing $50 million into developing training simulations? I mean... surely they'd just pay for a license to let the troops play GTA.. and save ooh i dont know around $49 million.
Oh n wouldnt they scrap all the other training too? i mean thered be no need for physical fitness training, pschological training, or more importantly actual hands on weapons training. After all, a game can make you physically fit, and accurately let you feel the size, weight, recoil of various weapons... *sigh*
They did in the past but people used to Infinite Ammo Cheats used up all the rockets to blow up infantry and try to cross rivers by letting cars jump, rather than using bridges. Needless to say they found themselves in trouble when they encountered an enemy tank.
Obvious Department: The situation described is purely fictional.
i totally dont get your point ;) .
Why wouldnt we want our soldiers using those cheats? I mean just tell the guys in iraq that they can type IDKFA to get all the guns and full ammo, and ICANFLY will let them walk through walls! Games are just like real life and i cant believe youd say otherwise! I flipped my car off a 150 ft jump today across a freeway, rolled 10 times, and kept driving safely to work. Those skills are invaluable!. Your like the guy who says santa isnt real! *sob sob sob*
GTA can turn our army into flying, infinite ammod, rocket jumping, invicible badass mot***kers!
They are simply using it to train tactics, not actual combat. In fact, you could probably do the same thing with chesspieces and model buildings, but they don't offer the possibility of replaying and pointing out mistakes.
We had a group of soliders devoted to animation in WWII, not that amazeing.
This just doesn't work. And look at all that wasted money.
--- Official Protector of Videoland!
Video games are a strange branch-off from military technology. I saw a special on it once, and this guy was saying how he and some buddies would try to alter radar screens to do things (example: primitive Pong). Going farther into the future, they had flight simulators. The military has generally been ahead of the gaming industry in terms of realism, and some of that stuff does leak out into the gaming industry.
They should use the Novint Falcons that simulate physics and gun-holding in lieu of a mouse.
Hmm, sounds cool, maybe I should work for the army... not...
Nice to know that programmers are needed everywhere this days though, even building games for the army...