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Britain's Ministry of Defense using video game tech to increase combat simulation realism

Britain's Ministry of Defense using video game tech to increase combat simulation realism

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Britain's Ministry of Defense recently upgraded the quality of its combat simulators, partly by using technology purchased from video gaming companies after its trainees started tuning out the simulations because they weren't realistic enough.

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Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3

Britain's Ministry of Defense (MoD) has used video game-style combat simulations in training for years, but the recent generation of trainees started tuning them out because they weren't sufficiently realistic. It turns out they were spoiled by the quality of the common first-person shooter game like the Call of Duty series, so the MoD recently made some significant upgrades to bring its simulations up to par with what these soldiers played prior to joining the military. Part of the changes underway involved actually buying technology from current video game makers to use as the platform for combat simulators, though the MoD notes that it had to make significant changes as well so the simulations would be sufficiently realistic. It's quite a shift from decades past, when combat simulators were far ahead of what consumers could play in their living room. But with these simulators being used more and more frequently in training, the MoD can't afford to not have its trainees paying attention.