How Video Games and High Definition Are Changing the Military
The adoption of high definition video for consumer television and entertainment is well known. But what you might not know is HD is also changing the way our armed forces are training the soldiers of today and tomorrow.
While the last of the American forces left in Iraq left just this weekend, all branches of the US military continue to fight the war on terrorism both in Afghanistan and back here at home. In order to provide these new soldiers with the best possible – and safe – training, all branches have increasingly turned toward HD video game-like simulations to better train our men and women for battlefield action.
Because the kids of today – and soldiers of tomorrow – are already playing battle simulations on their Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. Since those young men and women are familiar with that sort of immersive technology, the military has been using the same technologies to train these young men and women once they enlist. This especially helps young soldiers with mission critical danger identification key to battlefield survival.
Companies like Immersive Display Solutions and others, are increasingly selling their wares to the US military with great results.
In fact, business is so good for the entire industry, they hold a trade show each year that is well attended by a relatively small but powerful group. Gametech, held in Orlando this past summer, showcased just how big video games and simulations are becoming for military training.
The use of the HD technology via video games to help train America’s military of tomorrow has reduced training injuries as well as increased effectiveness. Many who were trained, and later served in Iraq and Afghanistan, have said the training made a big difference once they hit the ground in the Middle East. Because of the clarity of HD, and the ability to see what terrain they’d be dropped into, soldiers claim the familiarity with the alien surroundings made a huge difference.
Who said playing video games wouldn’t get you anywhere. Now, it might not only save your life, but it might also earn you a multi-million dollar defense contract.
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