More videogame/military convergence

Business 2.0 has an article about the U.S. Army's use of videogames as a recruiting tool that doubles as a training aid.

The game, available on Goarmy.com, was designed by a team of students at the Naval Postgraduate School. They spent a year training at 20 bases to ensure the game was realistic. When America's Army: Operations debuted last July 4, high demand overloaded the Army's servers. Now, roughly half a million people play each weekend. A side benefit: Many recruits already know their way around Fort Benning, Ga., when they arrive for basic training. [emphasis added]

This VR knowledge of the base must be similar to how I "know my way around" parts of London from playing the free roaming mode of The Getaway even though I have never actually been there.

Another convergence: an entry at Charles Murtaugh's blog explains a VR-controlled mini airplane used by the Marines.