A military sim trainer without weapons? Tactical Iraqi focuses not on body counts, but body language. Soldiers learn things that might be offensive in the US are not necessarily in Iraq and vice versa.

Developed by the USC's Information Sciences Institute, the game differs from previous sims that focused solely on language. Tactical Iraqi must navigate language, cultural gestures and taboos. So far, 300 soldiers have used the system and several thousand more are expected to have by the end of the year.

The game contains no weapons or combat situations. Rather, soldiers must gain the trust of Iraqi communities in helping to rebuild. "I got a kick out of removing the weapons and replacing them with gestures," says the program's technical director Hannes Vilhjalmsson.

In Iraq, things like introducing oneself with out introducing others and showing the soles of one's feet are considered rude. Vilhjalmsson recalls when an Iraqi man gestured at a female troop by rubbing his fingers together. The gesture meant friendship. Situations like this can lead to misunderstanding in the volatile war-zone.

"An 18-year-old who joins the military might be in a foreign land for the first time and think that everyone does it like we do in America," says Marine Lt. Christopher Seeley.

We've got our fair share of FPS titles, how about a few First Person Interaction games? Civilians learn how to interact with various types of people. Because Lieutenant, it's not only new recruits that think that way.

More Here [Wired]