The Pentagon has just given the U.S. Office of Naval Research $36 million for what it calls a "futuristic" experiment in training soldiers to deal with terrorists by using immersive virtual reality scenarios. I think it was already called Rainbow Six for Xbox. Or Call Of Duty for PC. Or Ghost Recon for Dreamcast. Or Metal Gear for Playstation.The experiment, dubbed the Future Immersive Training Environment (FITE) Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD), will be, according to the ONR:
A critical, one-of-a-kind futuristic training program in which warfighters would train here at home in preparation for the types of small, urban and borderless conflicts that have spread throughout the middle east and other regions of the world . . . [it will be] a realistic, live-action virtual environment, that provides warfighter trainees feedback that allows for combined arms integration.Apparently it will emphasize the "human" side of warfare, which is an odd assertion to make about a computer simulation. Are there level ups and puzzles too? A Navy researcher said the goal is to create "physically and mentally adaptable joint warriors winning and surviving in all phases of warfare." If $36 million sounds like a huge budget to you, consider that Grand Theft Auto IV cost $100 million. Final Fantasy XII cost $35 million - but that game is shit.
No comments:
Post a Comment