Video Games

Can you guess what the latest news is? Well, the Army is creating some really complex video games, which are aimed at sharpening the skills of the soldiers. These are being developed by the ICT – which is a research lab that works in gaming technology. They create products which are specially made for the United States military. In fact, one of the games – Virtual Iraq, was designed for those who had fought in Iraq and has returned with post-traumatic stress disorder. This form of exposure therapy is creating waves, as many people are applauding the attempt to use video games for solving military problems.

The first-person shooter games boost recruitment, and also rely on interpersonal interaction. There are also civilian games like Fallout and Phoenix Wright. The success in the field of weapons-research is now manifesting itself in gaming technology, and is helping to raise the cultural awareness of the soldiers. The games that have been developed are mature, realistic, and even fun to play.

Existing games were modifying, so there are games like Close Combat: Marines, Marine Doom – which are actually versions of Close Combat and Doom. These games teach teamwork. In fact, up to $50 million is being invested over the next five years, for the development of such games. They are expected to help at least 3000 soldiers learn to deal with their traumatic experiences.

The ICT (the USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies) has got quite a reputation, for designing some top-notch games that deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. Soldiers are allowed to practice securing and rebuilding an Iraqi city, and can even develop their negotiation skills. The games are representative of cutting-edge technology indeed, and use exposure therapy to help heal the soldiers, showing them sights, sounds, and smells which they previously associated with war memories.

The experience of the game is tailor-made to how the patient is handling himself – if he is ready, the intensity is increased. And in cases of high intensity, the patient can go into a safe zone. The physical setup of the game isn’t much – an office chair on a platform over a sub-woofer, there is a PC beside it, with low-resolution VR headset and USB gamepad, which is attached to a mock M4 carbine. Costs have been intentionally kept low so that the setup can be recreated again in other clinics.

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