Army to Spend $50 Million on Video Games

Love to game? Join the U.S. Army! They plan to invest in $50 million over five years to develop video games for use in training soldiers for combat. The program is slated to begin in 2010 and will spend nearly $50 million over a 5 year span. They will watch trends in commercial video games and look for advanced technologies that can be used in training.

The Army is also looking to buy a state-of-the-art gaming engine that it can modify for its use in training. Called "Game After Ambush," it will replace the Army's current shooter training game, "DARWARS Ambush," says Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper. The new game, unlike the old one, will let trainers modify terrains, scenarios and missions during play.

Video games are already widely used in recruiting and training soldiers, with the best-known example being "America's Army," a game released to the general public in 2002 to help with recruitment. Earlier this year, the Army opened a 14,500 square foot "Experience Center" in a Philadelphia mall featuring gaming stations, video installations and a replica command-and-control center in an attempt to give the public a glimpse of military life.