Do you think video games are a waste of time? Well, the United States Air Force doesn’t think so. They’re teaming up with a nonprofit organization called MITRE to organize a video game tournament to help train their service members.
Air Force turns to video games to teach real-life combat
The tournament is based on a game called “Drone Guardians,” which is a mix of shooting, strategy, and puzzles. In this game, teams of five players have to defend an airbase and control fighter aircraft. They need to protect the base from threats coming from different directions like land, sea, and space. Players have to make decisions like launching aircraft for attacks or prioritizing the safety of the airbase.
It might sound simple, but it requires a lot of teamwork and coordination to protect the base effectively. Even though it’s a video game, it mimics real-life combat scenarios.
But there’s a bigger purpose behind this tournament. The Air Force and MITRE plan to use the data from the tournament to create a computer program that can help them prepare for real combat situations better. This program will learn from the tournament results and improve military readiness.
“Even without adversary intervention, military logistics networks can be brittle and chaotic while also having single points of failure, creating ripe opportunities for attacks,” said Eliahu Niewood, vice president, of Air and Space Forces, MITRE
The tournament will happen at three different locations in the US: South Carolina, Virginia, and Texas. These are the following schedules:
- Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina – September 22-23.
- MITRE headquarters in McLean, Virginia – October 13-14.
- MITRE regional office in San Antonio, Texas – October 20-21.
Anyone who’s 18 or older can sign up for free, either as an individual or part of a team. The winners can even win cash prizes that could reach up to $1000.
This initiative shows that video games can be used for serious training, and it’s being taken seriously by the military. It’s a new way of preparing for real-world combat situations.
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Source: Fragster
