Video Games in Military Training

I really should be studying for the CCNA Exam or building my test network to complete some router configurations. Perhaps I could find a good router simulation software, though nothing beats having to set up all the wiring and cabling by hand. Nonetheless, are there software packages for soldiers to do military training in a simulated environment, such as video games?

Source: Friend's Facebook post

I stumbled upon an article debating whether a gamers make good soldiers. I've seen world class flight simulator programs made by the Canadian firm CAE. Reading on, I also discovered the Army's Engagement Skills Trainer (EST) to simulate the sound and feel of the different firearms used on the job for target practise. Well what happened to the firing ranges? I guess this makes an environmentally sound alternative without spent casings to clean up. The EST also provides possible scenarios to help soldiers make life changing decisions on when to shoot and when not to shoot. There was another simulator software called the Virtual Convoy Operations Trainer (VCOT) and DARWARS Ambush seems to be a big hit. DARWARS allows users to add or modify scenarios with their own learned experience.

Here's the link because it was such a page turner: http://science.howstuffworks.com/gamer-soldier2.htm

Now goes the question, if I played my daily dose of Wii golf, would that train me to be a world class golfer. Well I'd really have to say no because you need to feel the true weight of an expensive golf club, you'd have to feel the action and reaction of hitting a real ball, and experience real wind and air flow to influence the true path of the ball. There's no way to get that from a game.

In the same way, just studying for this exam on paper won't do.  We don't want a CCNA "paper cert". Time to solve some real world router problems!