Training Non-Kinetic Ops with Videogames

WIRED's got an interesting article about a sim out of Texas that trains cultural awareness, sponsored by the US Army TRADOC. Of course, the WIRED guys missed that USMC PM TRASYS has been way out ahead of this for a while now, with their VCAT.

The Pentagon’s added yet another video game to their growing collection. This time, they’re investing in a “First Person Cultural Trainer” designed to teach one-on-one cultural sensitivity to American troops.

The Army’s Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is backing University of Texas researchers to create the game, which is a 3D sim with scenarios in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Troops play themselves, and interact with Iraqi and Afghan civilians in replications of local villages.

It’s a project that’s been in the works for three years, and uses cultural data provided by the military. The goal of the game is to enter a village, learn about the social structures and relevant issues, and then “work with the community” to successfully finish assigned missions.

By: Brant