Why the Military Needs the Gaming Industry
An interesting Popular Mechanics article about gaming (and gaming interfaces in particular) and how the military is using gaming technology.
“What an interesting evolution, I thought. For years, video games had been appropriating the controls of airplane yolks (Atari 2600 joystick) and guns (the famous “Duck Hunt” pistol)—interfaces common to military equipment—and now the military is using equipment that evolved in the gaming industry.”
Not sure about comparing the NES Zapper to the real thing, but whatever. The Super Scope, though…
“By now, the dual analog thumbsticks on both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 controllers have turned the standard logic of the first-person shooter (FPS) into muscle memory for most red-blooded young American men”
and
“Some might say that all those teenagers “wasting time” on Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 are actually the warfighters of tomorrow, training themselves at zero cost to the U.S. taxpayer. In fact, when offered the choice between the traditional airplane controls and gamepad controls, many younger soldiers pick the thumbsticks that are familiar to them.”
Ender’s Game, anyone?
As always, read the whole thing.
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