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Military to use games to help train troops

Recent innovations in game development have become effective and efficient means for military divisions such as the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corp to obtain valuable field training without the high costs or timely process associated with physical in-field training with computer-simulations. Unlike war simulation games used for entertainment purposes that have scripted formats, these military programs have graphical variables that can be changed to suit different scenarios. Soldiers find themselves immersed in the games ability to recreate true-to-life combat sights, sounds and the overall instability and volatility of the battle zone.

The lines are becoming blurred between the gaming industry and the military, as each turn to the other to further develop their respective technologies and user base. Game developers see commercial opportunities through the potential to make the already popular military genre grow to higher levels through the acquisition of key insights into the reality of battle. The military has found multiple benefits in using video games, which have proven to be a useful tool for both training, as they attempt to recreate the combat zone, and recruitment purposes as they try and reach out to potential soldiers. Commercial opportunities from a marriage with the gaming industry would also offer the military an additional revenue source as they capitalize on the content they have to offer developers and the public at large.

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