US Troops Get European Xbox Gaming Centers

Thanks to an anonymous reader for pointing to an EStripes.com article discussing the 17 new Xbox gaming centers being installed at the US military's European Air Force bases. According to the article, airmen "..located in the Azores could race a virtual motorcycle against an airman stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany - then team up with someone from Izmir, Turkey, to win the Super Bowl on 'NFL Fever.'" This gaming network, being installed at a cost of nearly $200,000, is even trying to get the top brass involved, as the organizer of the scheme "..suggested to his deputy commander that the colonels from the different bases in Europe should have a commandwide Xbox death match."

Comments

ha

[Anonymous Coward]

Airmen located in the Azores could race a virtual motorcycle against an airman stationed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany

This is nothing new. Airmen located in the Persian Gulf have been fighting a battle against a virtual threat for well over a decade.

American games in European region

[Krellan]

I can see how Xbox would be chosen, since it's an American-made system, and the military prefers American-made whenever possible, to be patriotic.

But what of region coding?

I wonder what will happen if a soldier buys a game off base while stationed in Europe, and brings it into the Xbox gameroom on base, and discovers it won't play.

Will all games have to be imported from the USA?

I would imagine Microsoft would make a special deal with the military, and give them regionfree consoles that would play anything, regardless of region.

They work hard and play hard

[nicholasharbour]

With all the military cutbacks over the past ten years or so, troops are working longer and harders shifts and deployments. Morale needs to be maintained and the most effective way to do it is to get things the they guys actually like to do! What else would you spend the morale money on? a clown? some interesting literature?
When it comes down to it, they like to play video games. The troops can play video games for 2 hours and feel more refreshed for another 24 or 36 hour shift. Also, please try to remember that most of the people over there only make about $15k a year so it is not too much to ask for a nice benifits package :)