The United States Army has announced that they will be putting a large chunk of change into gaming. Having created a new "games unit," they will spend $50 million training soldiers on videogames over five years, starting in 2010.
The Army has been using a modified version of Operation: Flashpoint (called DARWARS Ambush!) for years now as a training tool, but has found it limiting in terms of number of players, map size and customization of scenarios. Their next generation of videogame training, called Game After Ambush, will come with an assortment of modding tools which will allow trainers to make changes to the game during play as well as create custom situations for soldiers to practice on.
Just as with DARWARS Ambush! before it, this new program will be based on a commercial product. There is no word yet as to what game or which developer is being used but an announcement is expected in the next couple of weeks.
In addition to the already sizeable funding, they are also spending an undisclosed amount on "state-of-the-art gaming consoles" which will be put into field operation as early as February of 2009.
[Via Blue's News]
Conrad Zimmerman is Destructoid's News Editor and home to the busiest mustache in the gaming press. An amateur historian and pop culture fanatic, Conrad possesses a nearly limitless wealth of videogame factoids and a passion for the power of games to teach, inspire and entertain. He enjoys reading, writing and turning things which should be fun into work.
Likes
Mega Man 2, Arcade Games, Books about games, Board games, Having cultural interests that aren't games
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
12 comments | showing # 1 to 12
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
9:22 AM on 11.24.2008
| 
Actually after first playing AA I don't enjoy multiplayer in any straight shoot'em up FPS's. Even CoD4 is "so low on realism" I can't touch it. And CS feels like some downgrade.
Scale : Full-sized island.
You get shot , you die.
Most 'realisitic' war game to date.
I've played Crysis, does this mean that when super-suits are created, I'm pre-trained? Apparently so. I look forward to it, General Lee!
They should really bring the cost of us miliary down.