An interesting article over at Wired talks about a new real time strategy game developed by the US Army called Future Force Company Commander. The game is based on the US Army's Future Combat Systems (FCS) Networked Weapons.
The article, Army Game Proves US Can't Lose describes how the US Army is using games as a recruitment tool but indicates that the game might not be as realistic as it could and that the artificial intelligence (AI) should learn from the players (it currently does not).
As instructional designers who are considering the development of games (for Algebra or Spanish for example), the idea of characters or AI that learns is important. When designing a game, you need to think about what co-workers might learn during the process of the game and consider including that logic in your design. If you make a move that trumps a competitor, the competition may counter that move in the next season or quarter. If you handle an angry co-worker a certain way, he or she will remember your previous action and behave accordingly.
Will it take longer to program a "memory" into your game? Will it be more difficult to develop? Yes, but it will be much more realistic and better learning will occur, more transferable learning will occur.
If you want to check out Future Force Company Commander, you can get a copy by clicking here and downloading a copy.
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This article in PC Mag may also be of interest. It is about the Wii and how the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. is using it as a form of physical therapy for injured soldiers.
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