Monica Jackson
The U.S. Army has tapped video game developer Matrix Games to provide computer wargames in support of warfighter training efforts, Federal News Network reported Tuesday.
Under an other transaction authority for the Athena program, Matrix Games will coordinate with the Atlantic Council and Big Parser to develop portable wargames integrated with commercial off-the-shelf software and voice-controlled advising assistant systems to help soldiers practice warfighting techniques anywhere.
Tim Greeff, CEO of the National Security Technology Accelerator, said the Athena project aims to deploy a “realistic and more functional†wargaming system that can be installed on any military computer.
He added that the video games can possibly immerse users in urban warfare and other exercises.
The Army is also reaching out to other video game developers to participate in the effort.
Greeff explained that working with the private sector gaming industry will help the military focus on the features of the training software environment instead of the utilization and outcome of the initiative.
He noted that boosting the immersive capabilities of realistic programs while addressing the military’s training requirements will bring many benefits to soldiers in training.
