Virtual Peace Sim Game Based On America's Army

fortapocalypse writes "Duke University in collaboration with Virtual Heroes (who created America's Army) has produced a game called Virtual Peace, the intention of which is to help the gamer develop disaster relief and conflict resolution skills. Virtual Peace also is the winner of the HASTAC/MacArthur Digital Media and Learning Competition, according to an article published by the university."

I don't know

[oldspewey]

I just don't see a lot of mass appeal for a game that involves handing out disaster-relief supplies or carefully negotiating power-sharing deals in shaky democracies.

Re:I don't know

[DeadDecoy]

That really depends on the game mechanics. If it's fun, then the core idea can be whatever it needs to be. If you think about it, games with initially odd concepts have performed well: Sim City (or any of the Sim Series), the Tycoon series, Pheonix Wright, Eco, Katamari Damacy, Sonic. Not every game needs to be pigeone-holed into RTS or FPS to be fun. It's just easier for publishers to make the safe bet.

Re:Reality Check

[tthomas48]

Um... Cuban Missile Crisis? Just first thing that popped into my head. There have been a couple times in the past when conflict resolution skills have come in handy.

Re:I don't know

[batquux]

Actually, it's not. It's much, much worse.

Idea isn't necessarily bad

[CannonballHead]

The idea itself isn't necessarily a bad one. Not all games have to be violent, and 'fun' computer games can be had without violence, sex, or comedy.

That said, it's the gameplay that makes it work or not work. It sounds like this one is going to be a flop (not to mention it sounds rather politically motivated, another thing that can potentially ruin a game...)

Re:I don't know

[Belial6]

You haven't heard of the smash hit "The Sims"? It's been done, and people loved it.

Re:I don't know

[stuntpope]

I don't believe it's intended as video game entertainment. It's an educational simulation to train people who may need to devise disaster response policy. Players run through the simulation, make certain choices, and then they all engage in an after-action review session to check the appropriateness, or effectiveness, of their choices.

Video goodness

[Triv]

There's a video up on the referenced website, and it's freakin' hilarious - there are 20-30 kids seated at computers and wearing headsets and playing around in a virtual world, completely ignoring the fact that, if they took the computers away, they'd be sitting in a room with 19-29 other students who could easily pose the same arguments and take on the same personalities IN PERSON. It's called Model UN, and it's been going on in high schools for at least a decade. The selling feature of this thing looks to be that it's happening in a virtual world that looks sorta like the conference rooms in the real world where decisions were made about Hurricane Mitch, and that you can make your avatars look like the real-life politicians involved.

The internet is not and should never be a replacement for exercising an imagination. I can't help but shake the feeling that somebody needed to justify a shiny new computer lab and this is what they came up with.

Re:Reality Check

[R2.0]

No, heroism is going from ordinary to extraordinary. Going from scumbag to ordinary is reform.

Re:I don't know

[jamboarder]

"But the ones you listed don't have an overt propaganda mission...

...make it an expansion module to America's Army..."

I hope this took you at least several hours to write because it's difficult to imagine the two thoughts occurred within within seconds or minutes of each other...

Re:Reality Check

[meringuoid]

In particular, the conflict resolution skills of Vasiliy Arkhipov [wikipedia.org], who, on 27th October 1962, resolved a conflict aboard the submarine B-59 over whether to launch a nuclear torpedo against the USS Randolph battle group, which was dropping depth charges at the time. Had that debate gone the other way a Soviet nuclear weapon would have detonated off the Cuban coast, destroying a dozen American warships, at the very height of Cold War paranoia and tension. The outcome would not have been pleasant.

Re:I don't know

[CroDragn]

I thought it sounded like an interesting idea. I mean, think about how boring city zoning can be, then look at what SimCity made out of it. Sadly, from watching the video on the site it appears the "game" is little more than a replacement for a meeting room. Rather than actually get a group of students in a single room and explore the issues, you get students to move their avatar into a single room and explore the issues via headset. Essentially, it's a completely useless bit of technology that sets out to solve a problem that doesn't exist.