Games That Have Been Used For Military Training

Video games have long been recognized not only as entertainment, but also as tools for training and education. Military organizations around the world have adopted various games for training purposes, leveraging their realistic simulations, tactical scenarios, and immersive experiences. Simulation games, especially, are useful for building team skills, and also practicing making tactical decisions as if on a real battlefield.

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These games provide a cost-effective, controlled, and repeatable environment for soldiers to develop decision-making skills, teamwork, and strategic thinking. Some games have been used for specific training scenarios, such as armored warfare. Others are more general, simulating large-scale combat scenarios on a global scale. There has even been a video game that was used as a recruitment tool by the US Army.

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America’s Army

First-Person Shooter Used As A Recruiting Tool

• Platforms: Windows, Xbox, Xbox 360
• Released: 2002
• Developer: Sega Studios San Francisco, United States Army, Ubisoft, Red Storm Entertainment
• Genre: First-person shooter

America’s Army was released in 2002, and had multiple goals. It was primarily used as a recruitment tool for the Army. Despite the fact it was a first-person shooter at heart, the game also contained other content that would be of interest to potential Army recruits. This was a smart move, as it basically promoted military life to anyone who registered an account and played the game.

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Recruits were able to get a virtual taste of what military life would be like, so that they could judge if they wanted to commit to military life, and whether they had skills that might be applicable in the Army. The game was later made available to the wider public, and ported to additional platforms. As a live-service game, players had to register an account to play. It has been stated that over 13 million accounts were set up.

5

Steel Beasts

Armored Warfare Simulator

• Platforms: Microsoft Windows
• Released: August 21, 2000
• Developer: eSim Games
• Genre: Strategy Video Game, Action game

When the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. was starting to consider virtual simulations as a training tool for troops, it settled on the X-box as its platform of choice, although customizing each unit. It was theorized that using a console platform would make it easier for troops to transition from leisure gaming to playing a military simulation.

The Academy runs real-world wargames, but also uses a commercial game title for training. The Steel Beasts M1 tank simulator, which also includes infantry gameplay, is used for either solo or team training. It was used effectively for some time, although it is unclear whether it is still in use today.

4

Marine Doom

Doom 2 Mod

• Platforms: MS-DOS
• Released: 1996
• Developer: Major Kirk Skinner and others.
• Genre: First-person shooter

Marine Doom was a mod for Doom 2 that was created as an early attempt at using a video game as part of military training. At the time, the Commandant of the Marine Corps was General Charles Krulak, who ordered that methods should be investigated for using video games to improve troop decision-making skills.

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A team of marines created the Marine Doom mod, with realistic weapons and tougher combat. The game was intended to train 4-person fire teams. In 1996, the mod was made available for download by Sergeant Daniel G. Snyder, and can still be downloaded and played today.

3

Arma 3

Reworked As VBS BISim

The original BISim VBS was based on the game Arma 3. However, the newest version, VBS4, has moved beyond its Arma 3 roots. This is a more full-blown simulation than a game in some respects. The VBS platform can simulate entire military campaigns at a global level, all the way down to simulating sea, air, and armored warfare.

VBS stands for Virtual Battlespace, and it is used by the army through Engagement Skills Trainers. The platform allows trainers to set up custom scenarios and build missions based on these scenarios. Procedurally generated terrain and road systems can be used to quickly create custom map layouts as well.

2

Full Spectrum Warrior

Originally Planned As A Trainer

Full Spectrum Warrior had an interesting inception. It was created as a collaborative project between THQ Nordic and the US Army. The Army had a requirement for an Xbox-based game that could be used in the training of infantry troops. The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences produced a specification document for the trainer in the early 2000s.

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The commercial version of the game includes the US Army trainer, but the player needs to enter a secret code to access it. The public release of the title was so popular, it spawned a sequel, although the US Army had no involvement in this.

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World Of Tanks

Used By Actual Tankers

During the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent global lockdown, some military units began to look around for alternatives to real-world exercises and training drills. This would enable them to continue training whilst maintaining best practices with regard to social distancing. Unfortunately, most digital training simulators are intended as team exercises, with the team all being present, which simply wasn’t possible under lockdown rules.

A group of tankers, led by section leader in D Troop, 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, decided to use World Of Tanks, the popular live-service armored combat arena game, to continue training and keep their skills fresh. Normal players didn’t learn until long after, that they were playing against professional tank crews.

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