The US Marine Corps is using a specially modded version of Call of Duty 4 to train newly promoted sergeants in real-time combat leadership and decision-making
The US military is training its new turning to become battle-ready leaders – by using a video game. The Marine Corps has dusted off the near-20-year-old classic Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and using the legendary first-person shooter to train newly-promoted sergeants.
Experts from Virginia Tech and the University of Memphis have teamed up to overhaul the iconic 2007 title. Funded by the Office of Naval Research, the high-tech project has been officially dubbed “Research into Competency Acquisition with Novel E-gaming.”
While warfare has drastically evolved since the game’s original release, with AI and killer drones now dominating modern battlefields, the same psychological pressures remain.
The modified version of CoD thrusts Marine students into over a dozen gruelling, real-time scenarios designed to test their leadership, communication and split-second decision-making.
Brigadier General Matthew Tracy, commanding general of Marine Corps Education Command and president of Marine Corps University, said: “The actual skills translate directly into making good decisions under high stress.”
Currently deployed at the Sergeants School at Marine Corps University in Quantico, Virginia, the scheme aims to prepare non-commissioned officers for a major step-up in leadership.
While traditional classes lean heavily on textbooks, case studies and debates, the gaming tech forces Marines to learn practically.
The project’s lead researcher is Louis Hickman, an assistant professor of industrial-organisational psychology at Virginia Tech.
The ex-competitive gamer, who used to play first-person shooters before family life took over, told US military news website Stars and Stripes that Call of Duty 4 was chosen over sci-fi games like Halo due to its realistic, grounded setting.
Hickman said: “This is one of the few things in the course that allows for active practice and a more engaging experience.”
His elite gaming skills are said to have left his colleagues stunned during weekly software tests. Ryan P. McMahan, director of the university’s Center for Human-Computer Interaction, said: “When Louis is there, it’s like having Rambo on your team.”
Using advanced tools, the team created a custom 14-level campaign. Instead of the standard single-player mode, where enemies attack in a predictable trickle, five-man Marine “fire teams” are swarmed by overwhelming enemy forces.
Before entering the virtual meat-grinder, leaders must draft a tactical plan. During the chaos, researchers track everything from voice comms and video footage to in-game movement and kill/death ratios
The ultimate proof of the gaming experiment comes during a multi-day field exercise, where the digital lessons are tested in the real world.
The scheme has reportedly been such a success at Quantico that the military is already planning to roll it out to other locations.
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