I've enjoyed two great reads from Canadian journalist Clive Thompson in the last couple of weeks and that merits a blog entry. Today, in the New York Times Magazine, Clive writes about the way the U.S. military is using computer games and Silicon Valley programmers to help prepare soldiers for war. I once heard retired U.S. General Paul Gorman speak about some of these issues at a conference I attended a few years ago. He was involved with the America's Army initiative that Clive references.
Using computer games to train soldiers sounds gimmicky. But the U.S. military takes it seriously and so should more of us. Clive sketches out some of the issues that deserve more critical study.
The other piece of Clive's was published a while ago but I just got around to it recently. Writing in The Walrus, Clive profiled the work of a U.S. economist who argues that online gaming creates real economic activity. A great eye-opener of a piece, particularly for those who've never immersed themselves in Everquest and the like.