Apparently an evening spent playing Modern Warfare 2 won't prepare you for real combat. Regardless of their realism or level of violence, video games do not produce competent soldiers. On the contrary, they create weak ones -- at least, that's what the U.S. Army thinks.
For the first time in 30 years, the Army is seriously adjusting its basic training practices in order to cope with a "softer" generation raised on video games and the Internet. The overhauled boot camps will emphasize physical strength, disciple, and melee combat -- traits often ignored by today's generation of recruits.
With all the unmanned aerial vehicles soaring over Afghanistan, it's all too easy to think of war as a photo-realistic video game. But Lt. General Mark Hertling made it clear in an NPR interview, "It's just a softer generation."
So the next time you load up Bad Company 2, drop and give yourself 50 push-ups [Switched via NPR].
I know I would be too soft for the army.
Damn those kids now days. With them loud music and hula hoops and video games.
But seriously didnt the US Army make America's Army?
That statement is funny coming from the US Military, who have financed realistic FPS PC video game(s) that depict what it is really like to serve as a means of recruitment. In the games they have NPCs based off of real life war heroes (often voiced by said hero) giving briefings to you about your mission.
Also the military has a massive budget for simulations which use video game style graphics with a 1:1 mock up of the aircraft controls to better train their pilots. Sure you could say these are not really a video game, but If you sat me in one of these simulators I for one would have a blast. Sure I probably couldn't figure the bloody controls out, but give me the manual, and a few weeks of messing around with the controls and I am sure I could figure that bad boy out! (just kidding folks)
Anyway, its obvious video games such as MW2 and BC2 wont make you a better solder, if they did I am sure the US army would have some yahoos running around with knives in a never ending sprint attacking the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This directly contradicts an article I read where the army is de-emphasizing long distance endurance training (the 5 mile run) and bayonette training, to focus more on the short-burst, point to point combat that is warfighting in the middle east, as well as adopting a new emphasis on core strength.
But this is just dumb. Obviously being a crackshot in MW2 has nothing to do with having a steady hand, muscle memory, trigger squeeze technique, breathing, etc...things that the modern marksman and rifleman must practice.