It seems the anti-gaming lobby aren’t the only ones operating under the apprehension that sitting in the comfort of one’s living room, pressing a series of buttons in order to incite some on-screen animations, is exactly the same physical and emotional experience as carrying out those depicted actions in real life. The Chinese police are apparently now playing Counter-Strike to tweak their mad skillz in area of counter-terrorism, three hundred officers having taken part in a recent force-organized tournament intended to “sharpen anti-terrorist skills of Tianjin’s police force”.
Tournament organizer Zhang Bin went on to explain that “we find the nature of the game very similar to that of our daily practice”. You are pointing out the little differences between CS and real life counter-terrorism though aren’t you Zhang? Like, you know, the heavy equipment, proliferation of bullets flying past heads, lack of Cheetos and overbearing fear and risk of genuine death…
Mercifully though, while claiming that “it trains our officers in the use of weapons and taking advantage of different terrains, and is also a test of mental strength in a duel with a terrorist.”, tactical instructor Han Zhen points out that “Of course, [the officers] play, or should I say train, after work. [The game is only] a supplement to their traditional means of training.”
Thank god for that. As FPS Doug has taught us, there are no respawns on the battlefield, and if you get lag, you are well and truly buggered. Now if you’ll excuse me, my kitchen taps have sprung a leak. and I’ve got a good few hours of Super Mario World to get through before I wade in there with a wrench.
