Computer games will help soldiers


Soldiers in Singapore may soon be playing computer games at home to keep up their combat skills under a plan published by defence experts.



The Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) have been laying the groundwork to make virtual training a reality in the army.

"If they can use personal computer games to understand what has changed since the last in-camp training, you can train them even when they're not in Singapore," Professor Lui Pao Chuen, the Defence Ministry's chief scientist, told The Straits Times.

The SAF and DSTA expect to launch a Singapore version of the game with vehicles familiar to the army before next April and a smaller platoon-level version in 2005.

The player in the game is the commander of a 100-man infantry company and plans how to use his soldiers to take on the enemy.

Elaborating on the new interest in gaming, Ong Seow Meng, the DSTA's deputy director for modelling and simulation, said the training simulators the army uses have reached a plateau in terms of realism.

"No matter how much graphics and 3D-style technology you put in, the benefits are incremental," he was quoted as saying.

"When you have fun and the game is engaging, there's greater learning transfer," Ong added.

Sorce::ananova

Posted: Tue - August 12, 2003 at 03:31 PM      

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