Slashdot Mirror
On Training, Recruitment Uses For Army Games
wgrover writes "The New York Times Magazine (reg yada) has a new longform article exploring computer games funded for training/recruitment purposes by the U.S. military, as previously covered on Slashdot. 'For the past three years, the military has been entertaining the surprising idea that video games, even those that you play on a commercial system like Microsoft's Xbox, can be an effective way to train soldiers.' Aside from training, the games also improve young people's perceptions of the military: '30 percent of a group of young people with a favorable view of the military said they had developed that view from playing America's Army.'"
It's a cool game and pretty one of the most realistic FPS games I've seen. Some of the unique things about the game:
* There are official servers run by the Army where you gain "honor" for completing missions and killing people. Negative honor is given by shooting your teammates or civilians. This is a good way to see what kind of people you're playing against.
* In order to use special guns, or even to become "Special Forces" you must go through extensive training in single player mode and then sometimes even have a minimum honor to use X gun or Y skill. For instance, to become a medic you must sit in a virtual classroom and learn how to perform CPR, treat shock and bandage players. Once you have this certification you can then become a medic in game and stop people's bleeding (if you don't treat a player they sometimes bleed tod eath).
The AA team just released it's final update for the next year in June, and next year will support driving vehicles and more missions. Overall it's fun and exciting and I recommend it to anyone who likes to play modern day first person shooters. Sometimes it may seem a little slow but you just gotta be patient. Going through the training is boring but it actually does teach you stuff.
Or AA: Guarding Facilities
I remember from my duty that there's nothing as stressful and annoying as guarding a building for a shift of 8 hours, and of course, nothing happens at all during this time. If something happens, you're dead, because you became too bored and didn't pay attention anymore.
Atari's Battlezone appears to be the first example. Released to arcades in 1980, this 3D-esque vector graphics tank simulator was a quarter-guzzling favorite of many- including the US Army. Years before having their own FPS, the Army comissioned special versions of Battlezone to train their tank pilots. This article discusses the game and touches on it's millitary connection.
Ignore the rantings above. Poster is an idiot.
Guess what! You do have to worry about a draft. There are a pair of bills (HR 163 and S 89) in congress now, which would require service from all young persons (18-26).
a ftstate.html ? billnum=H.R.163&congress=108&size=full
The bills are "languishing in committee" and appear unlikely to pass (and their existence has been used to stir up a lot of political noise by folks willing to exaggerate the facts), but they do exist, and if you want to express your opinion about them, now is the time..
http://www.theorator.com/bills108/hr163.html
http://www.house.gov/stark/documents/108th/univdr
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/draft.asp
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/bills/
-Brian
Plus in AA you can't jump all the time, either. You get about one or two good jumps and then all your subsequent jumps are shorter and shorter.
The training actually serves a useful purpose in FPS games, because it makes sure that there are no complete noobs asking "how do I shoot?" or "HELP! I can't move!".
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Of course, jumping systems like that were introduced in old Half-Life mods like FLF.
The problem is, when you're bunny-hopping around like an idiot, the only penalty you get is that you're not bunny-hopping anymore. No lack of oxygen from exhausting yourself (and all the real penalties that come with that), and I imagine you can still run at full speed (or least if you can't, the time between not running at full speed and running at full speed is not long enough).
And of course, when you've been playing for 8 hours straight you don't feel any fatigue in-game.
Here is the original apache video...
And another link.
Good video to watch when feeling too positive about the future of humanity.
Interactive Visual Medical Dictionary
Scouts have nothing to do with the military, or military structure.
Read up on the history of scouting -- among other interesting things the first Boy Scout manual was none other than a British Army manual, and the Boy Scouts originated from a paramilitary organization for boys (the Mafeking Cadet Corps) during the Boer War.