From Sun Tzu to Xbox
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From Sun Tzu to Xbox; a new book on war and videogames
Firing Squad caught up with Ed Halter, author of From Sun Tzu to Xbox: War and Videogames, to talk with him about the intersection of ... umm, war and videogames. Anyone who's read Smartbomb is already familiar with the intimate and storied relationship between the two, from early Defense Department research to current Army recruitment tools. Halter says:"The Army loves to say that America's Army is 'authentic' but only a fool would believe that real war is like that game. A more realistic form of America's Army, for example, would be one in which your soldier might lose a limb or get brain-damaged in combat, then come home to a Sims-style scenario in which you have to manage the rest of your life that way. Or maybe a game where you don't get into combat at all–you just camp out in the desert, running exercises. But I doubt those kind of game would serve as very effective advertisements."Halter will continue to follow the topic with a blog -- as a supplement to the more traditional dead tree edition and as potential material for a new edition -- that's already full of interesting stuff. Anyone pick this up yet?[Thanks, John]
