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March 21, 2006
Halo 2 = Training for CROWS
We all knew that
raising a generation of American kids on violent video games would pay off at some point for the military industrial
complex:
The U.S. Army has discovered a remote control gun turret that works, and cannot get enough of
them. The army wants over 9,000 CROWS (common remotely operated weapon stations), but is only getting 15 a month. There
should be about a thousand CROWS in service by the end of the year.
...But there's another reason, not often
talked about, for the success of CROWS. The guys operating these systems grew up playing video games. They developed
skills in operating systems (video games) very similar to the CROWS controls. This was important, because viewing the
world around the vehicle via a vidcam is not as enlightening (although a lot safer) than having your head and chest
exposed to the elements, and any firepower the enemy sends your way. But experienced video gamers are skilled at
whipping that screen view around, and picking up any signs of danger. Iraqis are amazed at how observant CROWS is.
Iraqis tend to just wrote this off as another example of American 'magic.' But the troops know better. Video
games can save your life.
God bless our Master Chief-loving troops and their mad fragging skills. It
turns out splattering Iraqi insurgents from the comfort of your Humvee is that much easier thanks to countless hours
spent blasting Covenant Elites. Maybe this means some defense contractor will sponsor a free weekend of Xbox Live.
(Via Xbox 360 Fanboy.)
Posted by Phil at 07:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack