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Role Playing (Games) Entertainment Games

CIA Pursues Anti-Terrorism Videogame 53

Posted by simoniker from the dangerous-deadly-elite dept.
Thanks to the Washington Times for their story revealing the CIA is developing a videogame aimed at helping its analysts think like terrorists. The agency is working with the Institute Of Creative Technologies, who helped the Army set up development of Full Spectrum Warrior, and according to the article: "The game will select a scenario that could involve analysts playing terrorist-cell leaders or members, a terrorist 'money mover' or a facilitator", or alternatively "a U.S. Customs agent, or even a cooperative or hostile neighbor living next to a terrorist", to help anti-terrorism workers "think outside the box."
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CIA Pursues Anti-Terrorism Videogame More

CIA Pursues Anti-Terrorism Videogame

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  • i thought this game was... (Score:2, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    i thought this game was already available from rockstar games??
  • They should recruit Tom Clancy for this project.
  • They can't find any real cyber terrorist [go.com] so they're going to make their own.


  • "The game will select a scenario that could involve analysts playing terrorist-cell leaders or members, a terrorist 'money mover' or a facilitator", or alternatively "a U.S. Customs agent, or even a cooperative or hostile neighbor living next to a terrorist"

    [sarcasm]
    How about homeland terrorists that make potato guns or swap P2P files [/sarcasm]
  • the CIA is developing a videogame aimed at helping its analysts think like terrorists.
    Didn't counter strike already do that?

    • Re:Didn't... (Score:5, Funny)

      by kaellinn18 ( 707759 ) on Monday September 29, 2003 @11:27AM (#7085050) Homepage Journal
      Yes it did. Counterstrike led the pack, setting up such realistic scenarios as 1) blowing up a pile of crates in the middle of the desert 2) blowing up a pile of crates in a slightly different desert 3) blowing up a pile of crates in a small town and 4) blowing up a highly classified, nationally vital Aztec temple. Not to mention showing the world just how instantly lethal being shot in the foot can be.
  • They want to think like a terrorist, right? Here's a game that's already been made:

    Kaboom: Suicide Bomber [virtue.nu]

  • Easy (Score:5, Insightful)

    by 4of12 ( 97621 ) on Monday September 29, 2003 @11:05AM (#7084863) Homepage Journal

    Thinking like a terrorist involves two things:

    1. Living in conditions that you perceive as less than acceptable.
    2. Believing that the fundamental cause of those conditions is due to $THEM.
    One man's terrorist is another's valiant freedom-fighter.

    It's all based on perception.

    Until we address the root problem of living conditions (as well as - and not just - their perception) and the belief systems that blame others we'll always get new terrorists to replace the old ones that get killed off.

    And, yes, we have to examine our own self interests in the cold light of logic, because a lot of times the perception of less than acceptable conditions is somewhat correct and the belief that someone else is responsible is somewhat correct.

    But the world is still not ready to adequately address either the issues of commercial freedom and of religious freedom. Until then, we're propagating the problem and treating symptoms instead of root causes.

  • if they need a 'game'... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Oddly_Drac ( 625066 ) on Monday September 29, 2003 @11:08AM (#7084893)
    "help anti-terrorism workers 'think outside the box.'"

    When I saw this originally reported, I couldn't help thinking 'no way'...

    For one thing, they'll be swapping a 'box' created by assumptions for one supplied by the 'game' writers. Hasn't anyone just said to them, 'take five days off and come up with ten real world examples of terrorist vectors.'

    Seriously, this worries the life out of me.

    • Mod Parent Up...I was thinking the exact same thing. Only a game on an engine about as complex as life itself could cover all the possibilities that a thinking outside the box terrorist has.

      Frankly, paper-and-dice roleplaying would have a better bet at getting to something real.

      And you know, given how many ways we're vulnerable, it's a little surprising nothing has happened.
      • As entertainment, we once created a science-fiction scenario that involved four different groups of people trying to stop a terrorist attack on a space elevator. The (large) group of people was split into four groups; counter-terrorism units, police, corporate sponsors and terrorists...runners were used to take messages between each group and there were GMs available that would release information as and when 'stuff' happened.

        Needless to say that it started off in complete chaos, but as people got into t

  • Couldn't they just do this with a 'SimTerrorist' (Score:4, Funny)

    by Mordant ( 138460 ) on Monday September 29, 2003 @11:32AM (#7085081)
    expansion pack?

    Instead of bricking up your neighbors so that they starve to death, your family could build pipe-bombs and plant them throughout the neighborhood!

  • NationBuilder? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by RobotWisdom ( 25776 ) on Monday September 29, 2003 @11:37AM (#7085129) Homepage
    I think a videogame for thinking like a terrorist is almost a contradiction in terms, but a videogame like SimCity for anticipating problems like those in the occupation of Iraq could be a real winner-- but it should be designed by the people who are in charge of finding solutions.

    The main goal would be winning the Iraqis' trust, so one of the most important rules would be that accidentally killing a bystander would drain local trust levels. Meanwhile you'd have to inventory and prioritize the gaps in the infrastructure, and then deploy improvements while guarding materials from theft.

    Establishing a local police force would be another major headache-- somehow you have to quickly decide who's trustworthy.

    I've been wondering why the first order of business for Garner/Bremmer wasn't to issue new id-cards to every Iraqi while building a database of past histories and who-recommends-whom. Libertarians might scream but it's hard to see any alternative...?

    • http://www.newsgaming.com/games/index12.htm

      Play all you want.
    • We slashdotters that don't like the administration's policies can think of every single possible thing the Iraquies could do to "interrupt" our forces. [said game would require security clearance as many CS & stratagy gamers would probably be playing several levels above actual Iraquies for overall meanspiritedness and tactics! We wouldn't want the Iraqies getting ideas would we?] Then dump THAT game on the analysts. It could even be online so that as they beat it we can change the rules so they can
  • I don't think that would be a wise move on the CIA's part to make a game about this.. Even if it is going to be played privately by them.. or if it is being made public.. Its just gonna give terrorists ideas.. and really, I don't think we need a game on how to learn outside the box if we know HOW to make it... Its just another idea the CIA has to pass the time at their desk...

  • hmmm (Score:1)

    by rwven ( 663186 )
    yay! now terrorists can train to get around CIA agents! ....oh....
  • I would like to see a game like this released to the civilian sector. I'm assuming that this one won't be based on this: help anti-terrorism workers "think outside the box." Most of us aren't anit-terrorism workers.

    Now before you start flaming me and talking about 9-11 and GTA causing retards to shoot people let me just say shut it. First of all videogames are a way to do things we wouldn't do IRL without RL consequences. GTA did not cause anybody to shoot anybody, rather it was a convenient excuse. Terrori

    • I agree, a good online multiplayer game like this could be an interesting game. Give the game decent options and i'll buy it. Wouln't do a subscription service specific to the game, but i would buy it.

      If all games that could possibly upset someone were taken off the market, we'd have tetris left. My friend was killed in a street fight, that takes away all fighting games, my uncle was killed in a car crash during a Nascar race, goodbye racing games... This isn't happening so much now, but when you look at


  • Link goes to the Washington Times, not the Washington Post. In this town, that's like the difference between Slashdot and CNET. Not to mention incorrect accrediation being a fairly substantial copyright issue.

    But to bring it back on topic, I guess that verfiies that the /. editors don't RTFA article themselves, or they would have noticed right away. I would suggest they start, or they'll get sued over it sooner or later.
  • Maybe we'll get a whole new kind of terminology in the political mainstream....

    Press Secretary: "I'd like to announce today that VP Cheney in an undisclosed location for the duration of the event."
    Press: "*cough*camper*cough*"

    Press Secretary: "Contrary to recent press reports, president Bush is in fact, not AFK."

  • Alternatively...

    They could just play the GLA [planetcnc.com] in Command and Conquer Generals [ea.com] instead.

    (I wonder if it would be harder to get reimbursed for a $40 game from petty cash than to get a multi-million-dollar simulation written...)
  • Why dont they just look at any MMORPG - examine the PK'er (Player Killer) mindset and I think you would understand the average terrorist.
    • Step away from the keyboard and head outside for a good healthy dose of reality. There's a big difference behind the reasoning for killing newbies in UO than there are in for Muslims killing Jews in Israel.
      • I disagree. The universe is based on iterative mathmatics - patterns repeat themselves. Those tendencies in our nature will find their way into any societal structure, virtual or otherwise.
      • Not really, The /. boards are fairly reasonable compared to the rest of the web [and yes, I mean both right and left]. I've read stuff on Yahoo and AOL message boards in replies to news items that would have CMDRTaco banning IPs from the site. People out there are outrageously bigoted and hateful....after reading some postings, I've been embarassed to BE american! The same things exist on many of the online game chatrooms as well...

        So yes, surveying those communities [and many are AMERICANS mind you!] w

  • I thought we already had this...or is CS too advanced for them?

    CIA guy1: "Motherfucker! That's the 10th time i've died for no reason!

    1337d00d: "What do you mean no reason n00b, I've been getting headshots on you every time you spawn. lolololol n00bz0rz.

    Although, for some reason, if all of the people in our armed forces could shoot like some of those people I've seen in CS....god would I feel a lot safer. They'd probably save a lot on ammo too!

  • Terrorism- a mode of government by terror or intimidation. --Thomas Jefferson.

    Just something to think about when the spooks start wanting to 'think like terrorists'.
  • - try to kill Castro
    - sell drugs to finance your operations
    - make another atempt at Castro
    - blow up some oil tanks
    - make another atempt at Castro
    - mine a civilian port
  • ...if they don't have the balls to do what is obviously necessary? I mean, why the hell is Arafat still alive? Just blow him into pieces, damnit!

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