'America's Army' game saving lives

[Josh]

Nicely Dressed Link

A video game developed by a Cary company is teaching troops how to care for themselves and their comrades when they're hurt in war. The game is also helping to save civilian lives.
In the video game America's Army, you are the soldier in combat training. "Your job is to listen to the drill sergeant and do what they tell you to do. Is that clear?"

Lifelike drill sergeants give the orders and players learn important lessons that could save lives. "They're learning the basic ABC's of life saving in terms of evaluating a casualty, stopping blood loss, providing a tourniquet for someone who's had a traumatic amputation."

Jerry Heneghan runs Virtual Heroes, the Cary company that created America's Army. He says a similar version of the game currently being used by the military is available to the public.

A letter from a mother to the Army is proof it can save lives. "Specifically she mentioned that the first aid skills that her younger son learned in the America's Army game gave him the skills and the presence of mind to make a difference when his older brother was involved in an accident at their home."

Virtual Heroes in planning to do more in the field of healthcare in the future. Engineers want to eventually design games to help prepare medical personnel for the operating room.

Turning what's normally a fun hobby for many into an important part of medical training.

America's Army is rated "T" for teen. It consistently ranks in the top five played online action games in the world.

Link courtesy of Hotfoot, via IM from Frigid.

Good stuff, this. I've long felt that basic emergency medical procedures should be a part of education in schools. Failing that, we can use video games.

[Robert Walper]

Unfortunately, I can easily see opposition to games using this example to further their agendas: "Video games teach kids to kill as well".

And if we're willing to admit video games can in fact teach young people to valueable life skills, accusations of double standards against their claims of "evil" video games will undoubtedly crop up.

[Hotfoot]

Unfortunately, I can easily see opposition to games using this example to further their agendas: "Video games teach kids to kill as well".

Uh....that's already what they're saying. The point of this article is that it provides a useful counterpoint: games aren't all bad, and can in fact, save lives.

And if we're willing to admit video games can in fact teach young people to valueable life skills, accusations of double standards against their claims of "evil" video games will undoubtedly crop up.

Games can teach useful life skills. This has been proven by Carmen Sandiego, Number Crunchers, and other classic edutainment games. You are FAR more likely to actually use those skills than anything you "learn" to do in DOOM (the most accurate killing simulator EVAR).

The fact is, the army included a basic first aid course in their training area. Yes, they also teach some basics about the use of firearms (including firearms safety), but it doesn't change the fact that I didn't learn how to use a gun from a video game. No video game can teach you that.

Fact is, excessively violent, gory, and sexual games should be kept out of the hands of little kids. No question. End of story. That the ESRB ratings are somewhat flawed and need to be better enforced is not in question as far as I'm concerned.

However, some games do teach useful things. Something like first aid doesn't need a special tool in order to be done (as shooting someone does) and will, in fact, be much more relevant on any given day. If more games could teach something useful to the players, we'd be seeing less of this rampant "games are the deeeevil!" crap going on.

That's just my two empty shell casings on the floor.

[Ace Pace]

Actully, thats BS.

Americas Army, while a usful aid for first aid, is damn near useless for shooting, you get no information on how to actully handle weapons aside from in-game Press X to fire, nor do you get any usful information EXCEPT tactics. Now if we had gangs working with guns using Americas Army tactics(I'd love to see that), it might be worth talking about.

[Lord Stormbringer]

Unfortunately, I can easily see opposition to games using this example to further their agendas: "Video games teach kids to kill as well".

And if we're willing to admit video games can in fact teach young people to valueable life skills, accusations of double standards against their claims of "evil" video games will undoubtedly crop up.

The problem with that thinking is a that you're applying the double standard. Games can teach, for better or worse. The fact is violence in media can teach as much as positive messages in media. It's an absurd thing to think that playing violent games doesn't have an effect while positive games do.

The thing is, any decently raised kid should know the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately our generation has a bunch of parents that would rather attack games and tv rather than be parents. Which has lead to absurd anger out of proportion to the threat games might actually pose and ills far worse than video games.

[Hotfoot]

Actully, thats BS.

Americas Army, while a usful aid for first aid, is damn near useless for shooting, you get no information on how to actully handle weapons aside from in-game Press X to fire, nor do you get any usful information EXCEPT tactics. Now if we had gangs working with guns using Americas Army tactics(I'd love to see that), it might be worth talking about.

In sniper school they do go into breathing discipline. Granted, the in-game stuff is pretty weak when it comes down to it, but the training's not bad.

I think the ultimate culmination is the first aid section. The training is good, solid stuff, but the in-game mechanic is "press a button and perform first aid".

Not saying AA is a great game, but it does take an effort to teach people things. Like I said, there's some BASIC information about firearms in the game, but not enough to start your very own shooting spree. I do believe I said (emphasis added):

Yes, they also teach some basics about the use of firearms (including firearms safety), but it doesn't change the fact that I didn't learn how to use a gun from a video game. No video game can teach you that.

[Robert Walper]

Unfortunately, I can easily see opposition to games using this example to further their agendas: "Video games teach kids to kill as well".

And if we're willing to admit video games can in fact teach young people to valueable life skills, accusations of double standards against their claims of "evil" video games will undoubtedly crop up.

The problem with that thinking is a that you're applying the double standard. Games can teach, for better or worse. The fact is violence in media can teach as much as positive messages in media. It's an absurd thing to think that playing violent games doesn't have an effect while positive games do.

The thing is, any decently raised kid should know the difference between right and wrong. Unfortunately our generation has a bunch of parents that would rather attack games and tv rather than be parents. Which has lead to absurd anger out of proportion to the threat games might actually pose and ills far worse than video games.

You misunderstand. I didn't claim video games are incapable of influencing youths, one way or the other. Merely that the "games r the evil!!!" brigade could easily use this to further their propaganda.

[Hotfoot]

Thing is, we already know that games are effective teaching tools in certain cases. That's not really up for dispute anymore.

By and large, the bulk of the supposed "anti-game" group just want to restructure the ESRB (or make a new ratings organization that's NOT funded by the industry) and have some way of legally enforcing the age checks suggested by the ESRB.

Yeah, there's idiots like Jack Thompson, but we don't need to be as concerned with little lying leeches like him that trump up charges in the quest to make more money.

I think the major sticking point for me is that Rainbow Six: Raven Shield shares the same rating as F.E.A.R. and Grand Theft Auto, when it is nowhere near as mindlessly graphic or gory. One day, I was carded for picking up a copy of R6:RS for a friend, and a week later, buying the SAME GAME for the same reason, from the same store (but different clerks) I wasn't.

Though I suppose that's a bit of a digression from the original subject. *shrugs*

[Ace Pace]

I personally support stores requiring the person handling the register to ask for ID or barring that ask parents if they understand this is a mature game.

[frigidmagi]

While I back the idea of a more effective rating system, has little 8 year old Jonny does not need to get his grabby hands on the latiest gore fest. The idea that Doom teaches you how to shot is pure bullshit. The targeting set up and button pushing skillz, are nothing like actually holding a real rifle and having to center the sights. Only those who have never held a firearm and are looking for an excuse to get rid of them would think so.

My main concern here however is that no matter how tough the rating system gets, little Jonny will just browbeat his parents into buying the game for him, has parents are the main source of video games for childern. Seriously how many young childern have the money to afford a 50$+ video game unless they talk moms or dads into getting it?

[Hotfoot]

My main concern here however is that no matter how tough the rating system gets, little Jonny will just browbeat his parents into buying the game for him, has parents are the main source of video games for childern. Seriously how many young childern have the money to afford a 50$+ video game unless they talk moms or dads into getting it?

You're right, of course, and this has been the bitch of it all since the beginning. Parents don't watch over their kids as well as they should and all kinds of shit results. All that matters to absolve the gaming industry of guilt, however, is the knowledge that they give, up front, an accurate portrayal of what the game's content is. Once that's done, the rabid "protect the children" crowd will tend to move on to their next crusade. Everyone else can suck an egg.

[Lord Stormbringer]

While I back the idea of a more effective rating system, has little 8 year old Jonny does not need to get his grabby hands on the latiest gore fest. The idea that Doom teaches you how to shot is pure bullshit.

It might not teach the specifics but it can set up the mindset which is pretty important. Supposedly the Columbine shooters were both Doom fanatics and Klebold I believe it was named a shotgun for one of the characters in the novel. Give that to a kid with no parenting, weak moral educations, and probably other issues and it is a cause for concern.

I'm not saying games automatically make one a killer, I read those same novels a couple of times (and after seeing movie want to find them again but I digress) and I didn't turn out that way. But my parents were far more involved and I did have people teaching me right from wrong.

My main concern here however is that no matter how tough the rating system gets, little Jonny will just browbeat his parents into buying the game for him, has parents are the main source of video games for childern. Seriously how many young childern have the money to afford a 50$+ video game unless they talk moms or dads into getting it?

They sure are. But if it's realistically enforced and not a bad joke (and having worked in the toy department of Meijers I can tell you that it is indeed) then the parents are going to be the one's catching the blame rather than games. It puts responsibility back where it belongs. And that's not so bad now is it?

[frigidmagi]

It might not teach the specifics but it can set up the mindset which is pretty important

It teaches jackshit in terms of mystic mindsets. In fact a video gamer is actually going to have more to unlearn in terms of shooting than most other people.

[SirNitram]

While I back the idea of a more effective rating system, has little 8 year old Jonny does not need to get his grabby hands on the latiest gore fest. The idea that Doom teaches you how to shot is pure bullshit.

It might not teach the specifics but it can set up the mindset which is pretty important.

Soooooooooooo. You're now claiming a game will teach you to shoot demons that leap at you. Which will somehow make you more able to shoot actual people.

The only people who will make that jump are people so suggestible there is no way to not inspire violence short of placing them in a bubble.