Kotaku: Military

How Video Games Helped Treat a Burned War Veteran

Kirk Hamilton — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:00 EST

Have you ever gotten so immersed in a video game so fully that you lost track of time? You're climbing the mountains of Skyrim or cruising the universe in Mass Effect, and the next thing you know it's evening and you haven't eaten anything in eight hours. More »

The US Army Has One of the Prettiest Video Games On the Planet

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 03:00:00 EST

Remember back in May, how we showed you that footage from the US military's new "video game" simulation suite? Well, it's back. And it looks more amazing than ever. More »

Air Force Cyber Attack Caused by...Mafia Wars Malware?

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:30:00 EDT

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Earlier this month, it became known that the US Air Force's aerial drones had been infected with malware. It didn't blow them up or anything, but it was embarrassing for the Air Force nonetheless. More »

Studio Head, Deadliest Warrior Expert Resigns Over Green Berets Misrepresentation

Brian Crecente — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 18:00:53 EDT

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Robert Daly, the head of Deadliest Warrior: The Game developer Pipeworks Software, today resigned from his position, saying he regrets misleading others into thinking that he was a Green Beret. More »

Military Game Developer Disputes Green Beret Accusations

Brian Crecente — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 18:40:00 EDT

Accusations by a group of former Green Berets that Pipeworks Studio head Robert Daly never served in the Special Forces aren't true, the head of Foundation 9 tells Kotaku. More »

Green Beret Says Military Game Developer Is a Phony, "Liar" UPDATE

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 06:00:00 EDT

This is Pipeworks, an Oregon-based game studio headed up by Robert Daly. Apparently, Daly's been saying he was in the Special Forces. But at least one Special Forces website, that's not exactly true. Updated with response from Pipeworks disputing the accusations. More »

Are Drones So Easy to Fly That Even a Journalist Can Do It?

Brian Crecente — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:40:00 EDT

There's been much talk lately about the Predator Drone and how using it to take out enemies from a distance is like playing a video game. More »

Somewhere Between Predator Drones and Battlefield Have We Lost Sight of the Horrors of War?

Brian Crecente — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 14:40:00 EDT

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Predator drones and other high-tech weaponry are turning war into video games and making the use of military force a more, perhaps too, palatable option, an Aljazeera op-ed piece argues. More »

Suprisingly Competent Blackwater Kinect Title Could Be Its Own Greatest Victim

Drew Cohen — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 18:40:00 EDT

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This week was the first time we heard of publisher 505 Games' Blackwater, an FPS that would cast you in the role of Blackwater Worldwide mercenaries. The topic seemed thorny—the mercenary company, now renamed Xe Services LLC., has been at the center of a multiple of controversies and the subject of highly critical Congressional hearings. Blackwater has been linked to the deaths of 17 Iraqi civilians, and the alcohol-fueled fatal shooting of a security guard in the employ of the country's vice president. According to 505, the game was designed in consultation with former mercenary agents, and with Erik Prince, the founder and former head of the hot-button security contractor. Some gamers have been piqued; a NeoGaf thread devoted to the topic of the game was titled "Somewhat murderous scumbag PMC Blackwater gets an FPS." Is 505 Games trying to court controversy? More »

Crysis 2's Engine Will be Training American Soldiers

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 30 May 2011 09:00:00 EDT

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Crytek's CryEngine 3 technology, which we've seen most recently in the company's own Crysis 2, is the driving force behind a $57 million project from the US Army aimed at teaching its soldiers how to fight. More »

Xbox Live Can Now Bill Military Addresses

Mike Fahey — Tue, 03 May 2011 15:00:00 EDT

In a move sure to please our friends in the military, Xbox Live now accepts AA (Armed Forces of the Americas), AE (Armed Forces Europe) and AP (Armed Forces Pacific) as options for credit card addresses. More »

This Military Simulator is a Match Made in Heavy Metal Heaven

Drew Cohen — Mon, 02 May 2011 21:00:00 EDT

Brothers Ondrej and Marek Spanel—who spent their childhood in communist Czechoslovakia playing Atari games "bought on the black market"—are the surprising originators behind a military-training game employed by the governments of at least five major nations. Among the brothers' sources of inspiration: heavy metal music. More »

Play This Submarine Strategy Game and Help the U.S. Navy

Owen Good — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 23:00:00 EDT

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which some may recognize as a founding father of the Internet, is developing antisubmarine warfare drones and has released a video game hoping to crowdsource some of the tactical AI behind them. More »

Fukushima Nuclear Plant Getting Help From...An Xbox 360 Controller?

Brian Ashcraft — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 08:30:00 EDT

The situation at Fukushima is far from over. The Japanese government is working hard to cool the nuclear cores and contain the problem. Help from outside is being enlisted, too. Help that is powered by an Xbox 360 controller. More »

Games Help Soldiers Manage Combat Nightmares

Owen Good — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 23:30:00 EST

Research that last year suggested gamers had the ability to control their dreams - or fight back in nightmares - has been applied to soldiers who have seen combat duty, and finds that those who game have fewer and less intense nightmares about war. More »

Veteran's Group Warns Of The Post-Traumatic Stress Dangers Of Call Of Duty

Mike Fahey — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 13:00:00 EST

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder brought on by their experiences on the front lines. According to Stay Strong Nation, games like Call of Duty: Black Ops can bring those experiences rushing back. More »

Battling Post Traumatic Stress Disorder With A Virtual Suicide Bombing

Mike Fahey — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:20:00 EST

The Humvee drives down a crowded street in a foreign land. A child waves. Merchants display their wares. Suddenly soldiers raise their rifles as a suicide bomber runs into the street, detonating his lethal package. This is virtual PTSD therapy. More »

This Stack Of PS3s Is The 33rd Biggest Computer In The World

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 00:00:00 EST

Remember how the US Air Force bought a ton of PlayStation 3 consoles then strung them together? Ever wonder just why the military would do a thing like that? Well, it's not for playing Killzone on. More »

Here's What The Hell The Canadian Military Wanted With $25K In Video Games

Owen Good — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:30:00 EST

Previously on Weird News from Canada: A garrison outside of Montreal opened a requisition for $25,000 worth of video games, an order a headquarters spokeswoman called "strange." Turns out they're gifts for soldiers stationed in Afghanistan. Whoops. More »

Marine Firing Squad Shoots Up Xbox 360

Brian Ashcraft — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:00:00 EDT

A U.S. Marine in shades stands in front of the camera, holding an Xbox 360. "This is how you fix the Red Ring of Death for Xbox," he says. A pistol protrudes from the screen's bottom. More »

Enlisted Gamer Criticizes Military Response to Medal Of Honor

Owen Good — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EDT

Stars and Stripes, the foremost independent publication covering the United States military, examined the Army and Air Force's recent decision to forbid Medal of Honor from being sold in their exchanges. One enlisted man blasted the decision as shortsighted. More »

Auto-Aim, Coming Soon To A Real Army Near You

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 05:30:00 EDT

To compensate for the stickiness of control pads and the low resolution of televisions, video games that involve shooting have long employed the use of automatic aiming. It's a luxury about to be enjoyed by real soldiers in the field. More »

Finding Solace in Virtual War

Brian Crecente — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 10:00:00 EDT

Can virtual combat be entertainment for the soldiers who engage in the real thing on a daily basis? More »

The War Game Where Nobody Gets Shot

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 07:30:00 EDT

If I told you a game cast you in the role of a US soldier in Iraq, would you simply assume you'd be spending your time shooting? You probably would. Which is why I like this game. More »

Hold It There Soldier, That Tattoo's Not Serviceable

Owen Good — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 16:00:00 EDT

This might sound nitpicky, but it's not to veterans who game. And those who served in Vietnam might wonder why Call of Duty: Black Ops personnel in "denied" areas would want to advertise an American military unit on their forearm. More »

Army Schools to Offer Game Design Courses to Military Kids

Owen Good — Wed, 19 May 2010 20:30:00 EDT

American colleges and universities aren't the only ones who have noticed the appeal of games design courses; so has the Department of Defense, which will offer them in its vocational programs for kids of enlisted military and civilian workers. More »

Dolphins Answer The Call of Duty In Marine Warfare

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 18 May 2010 21:00:00 EDT

Gamers who fight in the virtual wars of Call of Dutys and Battlefields have piloted multi-million dollar aircraft and tanks, but is there a new opportunity to put them in control of real-world warriors like Viper or Iceman, military-trained dolphins? More »

The Military and the Art of War Gaming As Explained By The Creator of SimCity

Brian Crecente — Fri, 07 May 2010 12:00:00 EDT

Earlier this year, Will Wright spoke to a gathering of military and Department of Defense personnel about the intersection of commercial gaming and military gaming at Gametech 2010. More »

Who Needs Health Packs When We've Got Lasers And Nanotech?

Mike Fahey — Thu, 06 May 2010 14:30:00 EDT

While we're busy fumbling through dark corridors and navigating twisting platforms searching for health packs, food, and other esoteric life-saving items, the Air Force is healing wounds with lasers and nanotechnology. More »

Real Life Modern Warfare: Soldiers vs Pirates, With Helmet Cameras

Luke Plunkett — Sat, 01 May 2010 00:30:00 EDT

In this clip, Marines storm a cargo ship that had been hijacked by pirates. If you think that sounds like something out of a Modern Warfare game, thanks to a helmet camera and first-person perspective, it looks like it, too. More »

Pentagon Wants To Build Better Soldiers With Video Games, Mind-Reading

Michael McWhertor — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:00:00 EDT

The Department of Defense aims to train a better breed of soldier using video games (aka "simulations") that monitor voice recognition, facial gestures and cognitive patterns through EEG scans, reports Wired. Hope for future video game controllers! [Wired] More »

The Real Consequences of War Fought Virtually

Owen Good — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 19:00:00 EDT

The blowup this week over gun-camera footage showing an Army operation raised comparisons to "video game-like" behavior by the men pulling the triggers. NPR's "On the Media" looked at this controversy and the relationships among games, tactics and weapons systems. More »

Games Can Help Prevent Military Massacres, Too

Luke Plunkett — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 02:30:00 EDT

The parallels between video games and the 2007 death of over a dozen Iraqis are clear. Not so clear, but just as important, is the potential games have to prevent such tragedies. More »

U.S. Army Accused Of 'Video Game'-Like Behavior In Disturbing Leaked Iraq War Video

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 20:30:00 EDT

Investigative organization WikiLeaks released classified U.S. military video today showing the killing of more than a dozen Iraqis, including two Reuters employees, with a spokesperson for the whistle-blower group slamming the soldiers involved for their "video game" like behavior. More »

Army Toughens Training for Generation 'Softened' by Games

Owen Good — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:20:00 EDT

The Army is remaking its basic training for the first time in 30 years to cope with a generation that, as the general in charge says, has a courage and physique shaped by, you guessed it, video games. More »

Real Soldiers Recreate Modern Warfare 2 Box Art

Mike Fahey — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST

When a pair of U.S. soldiers and Modern Warfare 2 fans get bored while stationed in Afghanistan, there can be only one outcome - spontaneous cover art cosplay. Doesn't cosplay fall under don't ask, don't tell? More »

Report: US Army Tried To Buy 360s For Training, Was Turned Down

Luke Plunkett — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

Back in 2006, the US Army approached Microsoft with a lucrative contract offer: supply a ton of Xbox 360 consoles to the Army for the purposes of training soldiers. Microsoft's answer? No, thank you. More »

U.S. Army Trains with "SimCity Bagdad"

Owen Good — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 20:30:00 EST

Army officers are practicing counterinsurgency strategies for Iraq with using a video game plainly inspired by SimCity. In fact, a frustrated officer unprepared for the fall of Baghdad asked for such a thing by name years ago. More »

US Air Force Buying 2200 PlayStation 3s

Luke Plunkett — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:30:00 EST

Influenced in no way by the release of a newer, slimmer model, the United States Air Force will soon be placing an order with Sony for 2200 PlayStation 3s. More »

Morale Booster Connects Troops with NFLers on Xbox Live

Owen Good — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:00:00 EST

Members of the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers engaged U.S. soldiers stationed in Iraq in a Guitar Hero battle, which would have been a heart-warming story if brickheaded quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hadn't called the game "Rock Band" on the teevee. More »