Video Games for training

[3steps]

I realize the sight, sound, feel, and smell is the best way to experience and learn about a wide variety of guns. Are there any video games that are realistic enough to supplement real world training?

 

[rockhopper46038]

I haven't found one yet. Still looking.

 

[the1kidd03]

not in any way ....

there is no aspect of a video game which is realistic enough that it can be applied to real life in an effort to suppliment training........the one thing you can take from a video game is the CONCEPT that threats can come from all angles and you cannot have your eyes on all of them at once....but at least in real life you have that "6th sense" and peripheral vision to aid you, unlike a video game.....other than that and maybe a realistic sound....nothing is comparible.....even the sound is questionable because in real life you have the percussion along with the sound which you can actually feel rather than just hear

beyond that, none of it is comparible because handling firearms, especially in "real life" situations are complex mechanical functions which your body must perform rather than a simple press of a button..to do this effectively it takes practice and lots of it, especially in a real threat situation

 

[loki.fish]

I know of one way that has been done. It was pretty much a modified screen that you shot with a real gun and where the bullet hit on the screen it hit in the game. Been a long time since I've seen it though.

Edit: Found it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNZCS-coZjY

 

[netsecurity]

Yes, Americas Army is designed by the US Army. It is more of a battle "simulation" than a game. I love it. The guns are M4, M16, M249 SAW, and a DMR. You can select fire, reload, fix jams, hold vreath whe aiming,etc. Trust me whsn I say that there is nothing more realistic.

Unfortunately Obama cut the funding to tbis free game, so there is no new version on the borizon, but there are tons of onlins players, and will probably be for many years to come because it is such a great game.. It was used as a recruitment tool. It has always been free.

America's Army Official Website

Warning, don't expect to jump right in and run and gun. Since it is realistic, some training is required. You can't equip the Aimpoint red dot sites untik you've completed marksman training for instance. It is worth the half hour or more spent in basic training, but that turns some people off. You do notned to complete training to play online though, so you can jump in and get an idea of how it feels, but you won't survive very long.

The ultimate realism is that there is no respawning. That's right, if hou die, you must wait until the next match! Matches are usually limited tofive minutes, but you still are forced to bepatient, and workas a team. HINT: Stay with your mates to survive, having more firepower combined, and the ability to heal each other. Like in real life, runing off on your own like a cowboy just gets you killed...

Someone tell me of a more realistic game, and I'd love to check it out! Here is one of my favorite maps, you can hear how realistic the gun sounds are, and how your teammates communicate via microphone: .
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjlqkmWF4-U

 

[lovemachine]

Call Of Duty FTW!!!

 

[the1kidd03]

 

[HICKMAN]

Counter-Strike 1.6.... duh!

 

[loki.fish]

The actual gameplay starts at 10:15. This one requires you to actually move and you get shot at.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eg8Bh5iI2WY&feature=related

 

[obijohn]

no. not for the individual. there are some sims that have some utility for small unit familiarization.

 

[Booya]

not in any way ....

there is no aspect of a video game which is realistic enough that it can be applied to real life in an effort to suppliment training........the one thing you can take from a video game is the CONCEPT that threats can come from all angles and you cannot have your eyes on all of them at once....but at least in real life you have that "6th sense" and peripheral vision to aid you, unlike a video game.....other than that and maybe a realistic sound....nothing is comparible.....even the sound is questionable because in real life you have the percussion along with the sound which you can actually feel rather than just hear

beyond that, none of it is comparible because handling firearms, especially in "real life" situations are complex mechanical functions which your body must perform rather than a simple press of a button..to do this effectively it takes practice and lots of it, especially in a real threat situation

^^ This! There are some games or simulations that might help you think about it more intensely, but when the most important aspect is missing (the fact that you could actually be killed, maimed, or injured) it's still just a game or simulation. I've done the sims and they help you think, but they're not close to "realistic enough".

 

[netsecurity]

Call of Duty and all the other current FPS games have the best graphics, but the present almost zero realism, although the sounds and sites are getting slightly more realistic in the latest versions.

The problem is the "arcade" type play. Everyone is running and gunning the whole time, and these arcade type games offer endless perks to experienced players, making newbies all cows for many months. IMO these games focus way to much on the menu system or unlocking guns, and not on teamwork, strategy, and accurate fire, which is how real battles are won.

All the popular new FPS games are full of 10 year olds that never stop playing, so they have every perk, making them impossible to kill, and alowing them to run and gun, with no need for teamwork.

Americas Army has the same guns and configuration options for everyone, so it is dependent solely on your skill. And, as I mentioned, teamwork is the most important skill to develop. The microphone is amazing in AA. It is very relistic when your mate tells you he's down, and there are three baddies circling the building, for example.

Americas Army has taught me several real life techniques for squad based assaults and defenses, and I've played these scenarios out enough times to know they work against the minds of any enemy. The name of the game when it comes to small arms battle is FLANKING: Suppresive fire, and move, move, move...

 

[the1kidd03]

NVM

 

[TheWabbit]

Try Arma2. It's free for the basic version and the number of weapons is unmatched. I've made a few YouTube videos playing. But it is only a game. Self / home defense requires hands on and real world.

http://youtu.be/lZTZIefR7F0

http://youtu.be/IiuvJ1tSIkE

 

[esrice]

Are there any video games that are realistic enough to supplement real world training?

No.

 

[jedi]

Yes, Americas Army is designed by the US Army. It is more of a battle "simulation" than a game. I love it. The guns are M4, M16, M249 SAW, and a DMR. You can select fire, reload, fix jams, hold vreath whe aiming,etc. Trust me whsn I say that there is nothing more realistic.

Well said. America's Army (AA) does a good job of "simulating" that you can't be a cowboy in real life but must stick with your team and work as a team. It's goal when being developed was that. To show the younglings that running and gunning is not the real stuff.

Now with that said as others have said you won't find a video game that can mimic real time training and the main aspect of training is you can actually get hurt/die where as with all video games/sim that danger is removed.

Call Of Duty FTW!!!

Counter-Strike 1.6.... duh!

Try Forgotten Hope 2 a mod for Battlefield 2 that minic WW II. But again you can re-spawn if you die.

Call of Duty and all the other current FPS games have the best graphics, but the present almost zero realism, although the sounds and sites are getting slightly more realistic in the latest versions.

The problem is the "arcade" type play. Everyone is running and gunning the whole time, and these arcade type games offer endless perks to experienced players, making newbies all cows for many months. IMO these games focus way to much on the menu system or unlocking guns, and not on teamwork, strategy, and accurate fire, which is how real battles are won.

All the popular new FPS games are full of 10 year olds that never stop playing, so they have every perk, making them impossible to kill, and alowing them to run and gun, with no need for teamwork.

Americas Army has the same guns and configuration options for everyone, so it is dependent solely on your skill. And, as I mentioned, teamwork is the most important skill to develop. The microphone is amazing in AA. It is very relistic when your mate tells you he's down, and there are three baddies circling the building, for example.

Americas Army has taught me several real life techniques for squad based assaults and defenses, and I've played these scenarios out enough times to know they work against the minds of any enemy. The name of the game when it comes to small arms battle is FLANKING: Suppresive fire, and move, move, move...

AA was designed as a recruitment tool and you really can't lump it with the rest of the FPS. FPS are designed to be fun and make the company money. The majority of players will NOT if they have to wait 5 mins between dieing. There is no fun in that and also no fun in not being able to level up and get unlocked (quickly) or via straight oout right buying them. FPS's goals is to make money for the company and as such they are more in line with acrade style play and in some cases (ie. Combat Arms) you can buy better guns with CASH instead of having to earn the points via skill.

-Jedi

 

[Westside]

NO JUST NO.

 

[iChokePeople]

I'm afraid I must be the voice of dissent (and reason) in this thread:

Dance Central, with kinect, has improved my skills DRAMATICALLY.

 

[jve153]

go play paintball. you will learn firing from cover, teamwork, how to handle adrenaline, clearing malfunctions under stress, situational awareness, etc. you cant die, but the shots do sting enough to make you not want to get hit. its about as close to an actual firefight as i assume you can get (same idea as simunition) without worrying about dying. you learn alot about yourself out there when trying to dodge 200mph marbles.

 

[Goober135]

Yes, Americas Army is designed by the US Army. It is more of a battle "simulation" than a game. I love it. The guns are M4, M16, M249 SAW, and a DMR. You can select fire, reload, fix jams, hold vreath whe aiming,etc. Trust me whsn I say that there is nothing more realistic.

Unfortunately Obama cut the funding to tbis free game, so there is no new version on the borizon, but there are tons of onlins players, and will probably be for many years to come because it is such a great game.. It was used as a recruitment tool. It has always been free.

America's Army Official Website

Warning, don't expect to jump right in and run and gun. Since it is realistic, some training is required. You can't equip the Aimpoint red dot sites untik you've completed marksman training for instance. It is worth the half hour or more spent in basic training, but that turns some people off. You do notned to complete training to play online though, so you can jump in and get an idea of how it feels, but you won't survive very long.

The ultimate realism is that there is no respawning. That's right, if hou die, you must wait until the next match! Matches are usually limited tofive minutes, but you still are forced to bepatient, and workas a team. HINT: Stay with your mates to survive, having more firepower combined, and the ability to heal each other. Like in real life, runing off on your own like a cowboy just gets you killed...

Someone tell me of a more realistic game, and I'd love to check it out! Here is one of my favorite maps, you can hear how realistic the gun sounds are, and how your teammates communicate via microphone: .
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjlqkmWF4-U

I second the vote for AA:O. Although I agree no game can give you TRUE training towards anything firearm related, AA:O is the closest thing to it. I mean honestly, tell me another game that actually makes you qualify as a sharpshooter with an M16 to then be able to move onto sniper qualification before you can even use a sniper rifle in battle? Not to mention when they updated the game to include "Special Forces training" that actually required you to walk into a classroom, sit down at a desk, watch a oral presentation / slide show, and then have to pass a written test before you could play Special Forces maps!

go play [STRIKE]paintball[/STRIKE]AIRSOFT. you will learn firing from cover, teamwork, how to handle adrenaline, clearing malfunctions under stress, situational awareness, etc. you cant die, but the shots do sting enough to make you not want to get hit. its about as close to an actual firefight as i assume you can get (same idea as simunition) without worrying about dying. you learn alot about yourself out there when trying to dodge 200mph marbles.

FTFY! Paintball is good to a degree, but NOTHING compared to airsoft. The problem with paintball is that, no matter how expensive your gun is, they all perform about the same. Because of specific FPS limits, they all have the same relative range, and have very similar accuracy. Airsoft, on the other hand, not only puts a very realistic functioning gun in your hands, but also has a wide variation to weapon performance. Airsoft guns do have the strict limits on FPS like paintball and also have the invaluable bonus of "hop up". Hop up is essentially a rubber piece in the breach of the gun that can be adjusted to give different amounts of backspin to a BB. This allows you to use heavier BBs in a high FPS gun to achieve more range and accuracy than a paintballer could ever dream of. The best part is, airsoft guns tend to fall into their real life counter parts. Pistols / shotguns are only good for CQB, long rifles are good for mid range, and bolt action sniper rifles are great for long range. Heck, on a calm day I can accurately hit a man sized target at 75-100 yards!

Here's my airsoft collection:

Tell me you would not rather play airsoft over paintball after you watch this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul3A9sqAvmY