9/27/2006
Pentagon using video games for training
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Sept. 25 (UPI) -- The Defense Department's Advanced Distributed Learning program has hosted a NATO gathering to investigate using video gaming to train troops.
American Forces Press Service reported on Sept. 22 that the NATO working group was attempting to determine how better to develop improved interoperability and standards among NATO partners to utilize special video games to train troops before they deploy.
The Advanced Distributed Learning is a project of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative director Robert Wisher, host of the exercise, said, "One thing we know about games is that they're very motivating for learners. We are looking at what can actually transfer from the games to an actual military operation."
According to the ADL Web site the goal of the ADL initiative is allow NATO personnel to have access to the best quality learning and performance video games, which can be tailored to personal abilities and needs and delivered via the Internet anywhere in the world.
During NATO's ADL "Battlefield 2" simulation, NATO members were operating in an urban war simulation in a desert nation.
NATO ADL participant Polish army Maj. Jaroslaw Bartkowski said, "The games are a good teaching tool. It's very interesting to play them. In the cyber age, a lot of people play with them, but we can use them in a positive way for teaching."
American Forces Press Service reported on Sept. 22 that the NATO working group was attempting to determine how better to develop improved interoperability and standards among NATO partners to utilize special video games to train troops before they deploy.
The Advanced Distributed Learning is a project of the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Advanced Distributed Learning Initiative director Robert Wisher, host of the exercise, said, "One thing we know about games is that they're very motivating for learners. We are looking at what can actually transfer from the games to an actual military operation."
According to the ADL Web site the goal of the ADL initiative is allow NATO personnel to have access to the best quality learning and performance video games, which can be tailored to personal abilities and needs and delivered via the Internet anywhere in the world.
During NATO's ADL "Battlefield 2" simulation, NATO members were operating in an urban war simulation in a desert nation.
NATO ADL participant Polish army Maj. Jaroslaw Bartkowski said, "The games are a good teaching tool. It's very interesting to play them. In the cyber age, a lot of people play with them, but we can use them in a positive way for teaching."
