Video game teaches soldiers how to lead under fire
By Matt Slagle
Associated Press
Hunched with his troops in a dusty, wind-swept courtyard, the squad leader signals the soldiers to line up against a wall. Clasping automatic weapons, they inch single-file toward a sandy road lined with palm trees.
Associated Press
The squad leader orders a point man to peer around the corner, his quick glance revealing several foes lying in wait behind a smoldering car. A few hand signals, a quick flash of gunfire, and it's over.
"Full Spectrum Warrior" may play like a typical video game, but the Army considers it an important tool for training a generation of soldiers weaned on shoot-'em-up games like "Metal Gear Solid."
The enemy is defeated, but no blood is spilled, no bullet casings spent: All the action is in an upcoming Xbox-based training simulator for the military called "Full Spectrum Warrior."
The Pentagon is joining forces with the video games industry to train and recruit soldiers. The Army considers such simulators vital for recruits who've been weaned on shoot-'em-up games. Even the CIA is developing a role-playing computer simulation to train analysts.
"We know that most of our soldiers know how to use a game pad," said Michael Macedonia, chief scientist at the Army's Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation in Orlando, Fla. "Every kid figures out the controls pretty fast."
For years, U.S. armed forces have used big, sophisticated simulators with hydraulics, wall-sized video screens and realistic cockpits. But such gear costs millions of dollars — too pricey even by military standards to be widely available.
"Full Spectrum Warrior" was created through the Institute for Creative Technologies in Marina Del Ray, Calif., a $45 million endeavor formed by the Army five years ago to connect academics with local entertainment and video game industries. The institute subcontracted game development work to Los Angeles-based Pandemic Studios.
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The institute's other training program, "Full Spectrum Command," was released for military use in February.
That game, for the PC, is geared toward light infantry company commanders who lead about 120 people. Set in eastern Europe, it tests organization, decision-making and the ability to recognize threats in a peacekeeping setting.
With "Full Spectrum Warrior," in testing at Fort Benning, Ga., squad leaders learn how to command nine soldiers in complex, confusing urban warfare scenarios.
The game is not about sprinting, Rambo-like, through alleys with guns blazing.
"It's not really about shooting at things," Macedonia said. "Learning how to shoot your weapon is easy. The challenging thing is leading."
The game the Institute for Creative Technologies has been working on with the CIA for about a year — at a cost of several million dollars — will let agency analysts assume the role of terror cell leaders, cell members and operatives.
