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Virtual Peace Sim Game Based On America's Army
fortapocalypse writes "Duke University in collaboration with Virtual Heroes (who created America's Army) has produced a game called Virtual Peace, the intention of which is to help the gamer develop disaster relief and conflict resolution skills. Virtual Peace also is the winner of the HASTAC/MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition, according to an article published by the university."
I just don't see a lot of mass appeal for a game that involves handing out disaster-relief supplies or carefully negotiating power-sharing deals in shaky democracies.
If libertarians are so opposed to effective government, why don't they all move to Somalia?
I played as the US in the Katrina emergency so that I could eat Cheetos and surf the web instead of helping anyone. After a few in-game days, I transferred some water to the survivors and attempted to blame everyone else.
Vincent J. Murphy
Spandex Justice
I need to mobilize the National Guard and send food to the affected areas... "Spawn more Overlords!"
Hey, would you like to come over to my house and play a new game?
Sure, what is it?
It's called Virtual Peace!
Virtual Peace, huh. That's a cool name for a sex game! Is it like Leisure Suit Larry?
No, Peace, not piece, you know, as in non-violent lovey-dovey.
So it's a girl game?
Well, not exactly. It's about saving people from disasters and injustice through negotiation and treaties.
Oh. Do you get to kill people, like in Star Wars where they were all like What are you doing!? And she was all, "Aggressive negotiation!"
No. It's just a sim where you run around passing out supplies. You get feel good points though, which you can use to upgrade to a bigger backpack, or better running shoes, or a nice biosuit.
Umm... Could we just play Grand Theft Auto?
Yeah, sure! It's way more fun anyway. Wanna know a quick way to make money? After you pick up the hooker you kill her and then she drops money. Cool huh?
Word.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
"Duke University in collaboration with Virtual Heroes (who created America's Army) has produced a game called Virtual Peace, the intention of which is to help the gamer develop disaster relief and conflict resolution skills."
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. - Isaiah 2:4
Shai Schticks:"You don't make peace with friends, you make peace with enemies"
What about PvP?
Um... Cuban Missile Crisis? Just first thing that popped into my head. There have been a couple times in the past when conflict resolution skills have come in handy.
The idea itself isn't necessarily a bad one. Not all games have to be violent, and 'fun' computer games can be had without violence, sex, or comedy.
That said, it's the gameplay that makes it work or not work. It sounds like this one is going to be a flop (not to mention it sounds rather politically motivated, another thing that can potentially ruin a game...)
America's Army teaches conflict resolution.
By killing all those that disagree with you, you resolve the conflict.
Shop smart, Shop S-Mart.
...will be checking to see whether your avatar has served in the Virtual Peace Corps before deciding to let you join.
While flying supplies into the outback, we were shot down by the kangaroos anti-aircraft fire.
Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
...The creators must have taken their notes from this http://www.somethingawful.com/d/photoshop-phriday/video-game-skills.php
Read my Very Short "Stories"
I don't think that is the "conflict resolution" these people have in mind. Khrushchev made a play and was told "get the missiles out of Cuba or you're fucked", and he blinked. I seem to remember a shitload of warships involved as well.
Mind, I don't disagree with your basic premise - conflict resolution in which violence can be involved is a useful skill. But I don't think that's what the game authors mean.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
I mean really, I've been waiting for this game for so long it's just not even funny. VIRTUAL PIECE: it'll sell millions!
"But seriously dude, what is that in the radiator?"
You mean, "If you don't do what we say we will blow your ships out of the water?" kind of conflict resolution? I don't think that is what this game is about. I would guess that the vast majority of times where conflicts have been avoided by peaceful means, we never heard about it. By the time we are deep enough in it for the general public to care, you have generally already botched the peaceful conflict resolution.
I would liken the Cuban Missile Crisis to calling the dad a hero that studied law while doing his prison sentence for rape murder and drug smuggling, and when he got out, he didn't go back to raping murdering and drug smuggling. He got a decent job working at a non-profit organization.
There's a video up on the referenced website, and it's freakin' hilarious - there are 20-30 kids seated at computers and wearing headsets and playing around in a virtual world, completely ignoring the fact that, if they took the computers away, they'd be sitting in a room with 19-29 other students who could easily pose the same arguments and take on the same personalities IN PERSON. It's called Model UN, and it's been going on in high schools for at least a decade. The selling feature of this thing looks to be that it's happening in a virtual world that looks sorta like the conference rooms in the real world where decisions were made about Hurricane Mitch, and that you can make your avatars look like the real-life politicians involved.
The internet is not and should never be a replacement for exercising an imagination. I can't help but shake the feeling that somebody needed to justify a shiny new computer lab and this is what they came up with.
Turning his life around from a drug smuggling rapist into a productive member of society seems like it could qualify as heroic.
Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
No, heroism is going from ordinary to extraordinary. Going from scumbag to ordinary is reform.
"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly." A. Carlson
I'm calling it "Oil For Food".....
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
Am I the only one who had visions of a real-time strategy game when they read the summary? I thought it sounded like an awesome idea.
Instead what is it? A virtual conference? Lame.
09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0 Whoops, silly middle mouse button...
Before you get all excited, note that this doesn't appear to be a game at all as the summary implies. ("Editors on crack" alert.)
Instead, it looks like it's just a simulator with one scenario that's used as an educational aid in one class at Duke University. It's not available for download. I don't even know why it's a .org domain. From what I can tell, the site explains this Virtual Peace in a very vague manner and appears to just a way for those involved in the development to get their big faces on the web (and probably in print).
If any of you have played The Sims or any of its expansion packs, you know that somebody is going to play this game just to see how much they can screw over a country...
"ROFFLES! LETS NOT SEND WATER!!!"
"ZOMG I CAN DO BETTRR... SEND TSUNAMIS!! LULZ!"
Then of course they'll hop in games with people who are playing it seriously, and much griefing will ensue.
It's like saying flight simulators are boring because you can't shoot the other planes.
This "game" is a simulator used to help train our potential, future world leaders how to resolve conflicts without resorting to the type of diplomacy typified in America's Army.
You will also notice there is no way to download this "game." It seems this is part of the course curriculum, as the private area of the website points out.
Sure, it may be more fun to blow someone's head off with a sawed-off shotgun, but really, would you do it for real, just for fun?
So a man who was never suppose to walk again because of an accident pushing through his disability and learning to walk again did nothing heroic because walking is "ordinary"?
Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
Um. No. While, of course, that was a big part of the public face of the US response, the reality was considerably more involved. The Wikipedia article on the crisis covers much of it; to portray the substantive "conflict resolution" of that crisis as this kind of simple threat is extraordinarily inacccurate.
"I am Ben Franklin! Master of sex and Voodoo!" - Benjamin Franklin
Bow-ties are cool.
When handing out relief supplies in devastated areas, who is going to be shooting the lowlife scum looters?
I propose an add on module for online gamers to join as either looters or people who shoot looters.
Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
America's Army was known to be a "reciting tool" intended to show kids how "cool" being a grunt in the infantry is.
In light of current politics, there is something on the "to do" list for the major players in government, and it's called National Service. Obama, McCain, Clinton and Bush all supported this and they have been using careful wording to sugar coat what is basically forced government conscription.
Rep. Rahm Emanuel Obama's choice for chief of staff wrote a book called "Big Ideas for America" where he writes. (emphasis added)
It's time for a real Patriot Act that brings out the patriot in all of us. We propose universal civilian service for every young American. Under this plan, All Americans between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five will be *asked to serve* their country by going through three months of basic training, civil defense preparation and community service.
Here's how it would work. Young people will know that between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five, the nation will enlist them for three months of civilian service. They'll be asked to report for three months of basic civil defense training in their state or community, where they will learn what to do in the event of biochemical, nuclear or conventional attack; how to assist others in an evacuation; how to respond when a levee breaks or we're hit by a natural disaster. These young people will be available to address their communities' most pressing needs. ..
Some Republicans will squeal about individual freedom..
On one hand, they say this is voluntary.. Groups like "Service Nation" that had a big rally in New York attended by McCain and Obama on, yep.. you guessed it 9/11 to exploit the date to promote their plan, they *claim* it will be a persons choice.. However if "Some Republicans will squeal about individual freedom" As Rahm says.. then he is clearly NOT planing for this to be voluntary.
I have no indication of it.. but I wonder if this game is, like America's Army, propaganda in order to convince people that "National Slavery" is a good thing and they they should love working for their masters in government.
Bringing liberty to the masses. - http://freetalklive.com/
Why the hell do you think I joined the military, to get college money?
I'm sure it will turn out just like that Itchy & Scratchy episode where they had removed all violence and they were instead just kissing and hugging and handing each other gifts...
I want to play Free Market with a drowning Libertarian.
And dozens of B-52s loaded for bear just outside their borders.
Only if he chose to get mangled in the car accident.
Ignorance is Bliss -- And the Opposite is True -- Genius is Madness
if PETA made it. Just sayin'.
Once you start despising the jerks, you become one.
Germany was OK with the peace terms imposed on it after WWII but not with the peace terms imposed after WWI: hence, dramatically different results.
I'd be careful with that. The outcomes of those two wars were vastly different even before peace terms. In WWI German soil wasn't even touched before the surrender, which then led to the sentiment that they got a raw deal. In WWII their cities were pounded to rubble, their men killed, their streets filled with enemy soldiers, and their government evaporated. It was very, very clear that they had soundly lost the war this time around.
If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
Stanislav Petrov saved your life in 1983.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
In particular, the conflict resolution skills of Vasiliy Arkhipov, who, on 27th October 1962, resolved a conflict aboard the submarine B-59 over whether to launch a nuclear torpedo against the USS Randolph battle group, which was dropping depth charges at the time. Had that debate gone the other way a Soviet nuclear weapon would have detonated off the Cuban coast, destroying a dozen American warships, at the very height of Cold War paranoia and tension. The outcome would not have been pleasant.
Real Daleks don't climb stairs - they level the building.
..they'd let you download the game (or at least a playable demo) for free. ;-)
This right here is why you never get laid. Getting angry at all women because none of them will ever have sex with you is a surefire way to stay a virgin forever.
- None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
Yep, that's unbelievably lame to most people, but some people are going to have fun. There exists a subset of the population that will be intensely serious (perhaps even obsessive/compulsive) about carrying out these virtual negotions. You've seen them in other online games before... the people for whom the game becomes their reality, and they are so dedicated they don't eat or sleep in the real world.
However, that's not the group I was referring to when I said some people are going to have fun. That group is going to be tortured. The group that is going to have fun is the group that LOVES to mock the serious gamers, screw around in negotiations and generally tick people off. Essentially, they'll be the Leroy Jenkins of Virtual Peace.
For those that haven't seen the World of Warcraft video about Leroy Jenkins, here is a link. Listen to the square in the background being all serious, carefully planning out this raid as though it somehow matters or has significance in life. Then you've got ANOTHER loon in the background doing "number crunching" and calculating their odds of success to ridiculous significant figures. They're the first group. Then along comes Leroy, member of the second group. I think it's pretty obvious who was having fun, and who was being tortured as their carefully ordered virtual life was messed with. Leroy is going to have a good time in here :D.
Beware of bugs in the above code; I have only proved it correct, not tried it.
I'm not going to comment on how FEMA specifically may or may not have reacted immediately after Katrina; I don't have enough information. Seems like everybody dropped the ball to some degree. But I will say that the volunteer camp they were running next to the river (by the battlefield) was extremely well-run. We were down there in March, and the whole operation was moving very smoothly. A lot of progress was made on cleaning out houses, the whole camp and work process was very well-organized, and even the food was good :)
The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
You know... like explaining where does that "Swords to Ploughshares" in "Virtual Peace: Turning Swords to Ploughshares" come from.
I assume he was aiming that piece of info at that group of English speaking Martians with moderating points that have picked up English watching Cartoon Network, so they know plenty of words and grammar but they've never heard of the Bible.
Then again, it may be just a coded message for Al-Qaeda or something.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Why not just make that the first semester of the senior year in High School?
Surely you mean, USians disrupt the balance of power placing nukes aimed at Moscow in Turkey (16 minutes to Moscow), CCCPians say "Oh, yeah? Lets see how you like something that close aimed at YOUR capitol.", USians start rattling their saber but in the end Kennedy convinces his generals to just quarantine Cuba, CCCPians decide to pretend that there is no blockade and run the bluff as far as they can, and in the end both sides sit down and remove both sets of missiles.
Both sides achieve a tactical and political victory but USA makes more movies about how evil baby-eating commies were about to start a nuclear war but the good old American heroes (including JFK who has put the IRBMs in Turkey in the first place) stopped them.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
Absolutely. I would however say it's a lot disturbing! Obama's 'Spirit of Service & Sacrifice' is one of the most frightening things I've heard from a US politician. Responding to a natural disaster sounds like a benevolent intention, but no doubt these programs will be teaching youth how to round up misguided citizens how to spot domestic terrorists & types likely to horde guns & food. I'd give you all my mod points if I had any.
Actually, they were dropping hand grenades in a kind of a "warning shot" maneuver.
Like, "We know you are down there, and we could just the same be dropping REAL depth charges, so don't you try anything stupid."
Only thing is, US navy had no idea that B-59 had nuclear torpedoes designed to sink fleets.
It could have went very, VERY wrong there. Fortunately, B-59's captain had enough common sense and control to surface the sub and demand that the US navy "stop provoking".
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
called Virtual Peace, the intention of which is to help the gamer develop disaster relief and conflict resolution skills
I think they might be starting to get on to something here. Now, take this concept, and meld it with America's Army gameplay, and they'd have a winner for competitive play, for sure!
(The only realistic way to 'promote' peace is to demote aggression. That, of course, is exercised through force - which is anathema to the average 'peace' activist's modus operandi of aggressive passivism.)
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
And here I thought the partition of Germany into two countries and the occupation of the two countries for two generations had something to do with the different outcome.
"I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
Just as the game starts to get boring, the Covenant accidentally release the Flood and all hell breaks loose.
that you are describing :P
"The first time I got drunk, I got married. The second time I bought a chimpanzee, after that I stayed sober" Arian Seid
It could be highly marketable if it involves handing out sandviches.
Interesting concept. Here is another one: You are the president of a Global Superpower, you mission is to bring peace to the world, but you are surrounded by pathological liars, mindless drones and lobbyists, and you have the handicap that everything you say or do gets mangled and often comes out as the opposite of what you intended.
This "game" is a simulator used to help train our potential, future world leaders how to resolve conflicts without resorting to the type of diplomacy typified in America's Army.
This only makes sense if all conflicts can be resolved with resorting to force. I grant that sometimes this can be done, but it's foolish to assume that you can always resolve conflicts without resorting to force. That's where the US military comes in.
Sure, it may be more fun to blow someone's head off with a sawed-off shotgun, but really, would you do it for real, just for fun?
What an odd statement to make. I wouldn't negotiate a conflict for fun either.
God I wish I had mod points, I may have to use that as my sig
Sounds like the ultimate way to put people to sleep......
People don't play America's Army for the patriotic parts. They play it because they like to shoot and toss grenades around.
I have a feeling this game won't be very popular among the existing population.
For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
One question... If I select to represent the UN as a "boots on the ground" relief worker, does the game allow me to set up prostitution rings, get involved in human trafficking, and start up a drug smuggling operation? What about withholding food for bribes & other personal favors? I mean... let's make it realistic people!!!
I thought that was quite interesting. I personally enjoyed the game America's Army and although I eventually got bored of it I thought it was quite fun and was in the right mindset for a video game with a purpose. It really did a decent job conveying the Army. Of course it didn't really feel like an educational game although it really was. It took a different stance to an education game because the publisher thought that it was better to be and immersive yet convey some amount of informational significance. It really did a decent job giving insight. But I think the most important part of it was that it was addictive...and that it was.
Heck I remember how I used to take notes on post its because I failed the first aid a couple times. And they were short and fun and the game never lost its gameness. And yes those first aid âoeclassesâ were actually pretty good because when I became a lifeguard I still remembered some of it and it was all pretty good information.
And the sniper skills were fun and you really ended up putting a lot of effort. It kinda showed you just how complicated it was when you have to take into account windspeed and all that.
Basically it really did provide you with the experience the army was trying to convey. Even if it didnâ(TM)t make you want to join the army it did provide an insight into how it was.
And of course it was a whole lot of fun. It was really rewarding when you get to be a medic or use a sniper and the difficulty of the classes actually made it more fun cause it made it valuable (in the same ways that MMOs like WoW make it valuable to be level 70).
So I thought it was interesting and it got me thinking how could a "peace" oriented game be actually fun and kind of be like America's Army.
In all seriousness if you wanted to do a semi peace oriented game...not aimed at being boring and more at just being fun. You could take it from a UN perspective and show the hardships of UN peacekeepers who try to provide aid whilst being caught up in conflict. For example you might have to make tough decisions on whether or not to save someone and you would have to try not get caught up in the crossfire. You could make it in the form of a fall out like RTS kind of like fall out where you are trying to help people in heavily conflicted areas (eg. Most of Africa). I'm not talking about an educational game, but it would be educational in the sense that it would show just how hard it is to provide aid and in a war ravaged country.
You would have to make moral choices on whether to save or life and put yourself at risk. You could be in Indonesia or India and try to keep stability and hand out supplies but not everyone is on your side. You would have to defend your supplies and duck bullets and have to defend against thieves and stuff.
I dunno just food for thought. I am just wondering how you think it would be possible to make a game like this fun. Because so far its never really happened. Games like this always turn out boring as all heck and pointless and just like a bunch of information strewn outand without much substance or fun.
I don't know how popular it will be, but The Yes Men are 1 step closer to predicting the future.
Only a few weeks ago they predicted in the "special edition" of the NY Times (the huge NYTimes hoax) that...
The Department of Defense announced yesterday the cancellation of its highly successful and popular 'Americaâ(TM)s Army' online game and recruitment tool. The program has already been converted into a new game, operated by the State Department, entitled 'Americaâ(TM)s Diplomat'. State Department spokesperson Donald Demsfold called this âoea pretty good step towards nurturing a generation committed to the principles of diplomacy and peaceful negotiation.â
It would be called Animal Sanitation and Safety force. The A.S.S force would storm people's houses and fight off evil meat eaters.
You would have to raid farms and beat the crap out of a farmer until he decides to grow more vegetables and stop farming cows. You would storm into meat companies and slaughter the staff....
You know...fighting the good fight!
The video was a setup. Basically that was a WoW guild who back then (don't know about today, haven't played in years) were pretty much tops wrt. high end game content. They made this as a joke video.
Anyone who has played WoW knows that nobody treats Upper Blackrock Spire (appearing in the video) as a raid like they do. They were (I believe the term is called) taking the piss out of internet viewers.
someone beat you to it ;)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hp1Ps6guOhk
molmod.com - computing tips from a molecular modeling
I'm waiting for America's Army: Abu Ghraib. C'mon, someone's got to do it.
Or perhaps a Gitmo Camp Commander sim game.
GCHQ Quantum Insert installed. If only our tongues were made of glass, how much more careful we would be when we speak
This is on the level of a education game. People don't wanna play a game that demonstrates good values they wanna play games like GTA where people are able to kill old ladies and pick up hookers. haha. They should stop wasting their time and make another Carmageddon.
I think this is a great idea for EMS, Fire Fighters, and any other emergency dispatch. Following routines over and over in realistic scenarios that have low marginal cost sounds like a great way to improve the efficiency of all branches nationwide. Using technologies like voice recognition and RF pointers could make these actually fun in a retail market too.
The 'Cuban Missile Crisis' was not started by the Russians.
The basis for the stationing of the Russian rockets at the front door of the US was the stationing of US rockets in Germany or Turkey (Russia's front door).
So the US threatens Russia and when Russia does the same, they are the ones starting the crisis?
'or you're fucked'? That might have been the US view of it but and any fool would have known that attacking Russia could have started a nuclear war.
Maybe the Russians were less willing to start a nuclear holocaust.
But you are basically correct and also show just how the truth gets twisted.
The initial aggressor plays the victim.
Sad thing, people actually believe it.
Stand up.
Let your arms hang down.
Move you right arm to the left, until your hand is in the middle of the distance between its original position and the position of the left hand.
Press down and grab.
That what you are not feeling in your hand right now, are your balls.
They are not there, because Anonymous Cowards who HAVE NO BALLS to insult other people under their regular Slashdot identity.
They also lack brains and moral flexibility to register a new account for the same purpose.
Thank you. I always do try to aim high.
Although, this was not really the case - it may only seem so to a person of lesser intellect.
If I were truly trying for that little extra I'd call 'em Slavers and Enslavers.
It might be a little confusing at first, but when you think about it is obvious which ones hunted, traded in and used slaves for labor, and which ones just plain enslaved the people.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
No because U.S. Foreign Policy frequently involves actual action and real consequences, whether they are right or not. The U.N. just involves a bunch of talking and useless, unenforceable resolutions.
You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all alike.