Thompson: Department of Defense and game industry have collusion

Is the US Department of Defense collaborating with the games industry to create an entire generation of perfect soldiers who crave for war like it’s something good? The latest statement coming from activist lawyer Jack Thompson seems to indicate that. He also linked this theory to recent shooting incidents in Columbine and Virginia Tech. Does that sound similar to something characters went through in a Metal Gear Solid game? Read on and tell us what you think.

Activist lawyer Jack Thompson has expressed in a recent press release his belief that there is a hidden motive behind the gaming industry’s links with the Department of Defense. He says that all of this may be geared towards the creation of perfect soldiers.

Thompson says that violent games are made to train “an entire generation of kids that war is glamorous, cool, desirable, and consequence-free.” He then links this conclusion with shooting incidents in American campuses like Columbine and Virginia Tech.

A collusion between the Department of Defense and the game industry is what Thompson’s latest release wants to prove. The military, however, denies the theory.

“First-person shooter games really don’t apply in this environment,” answers the U.S. Joint Forces Command through its simulation and modeling head Jim Blank. His explanation is then supported by key personalities such as Serious Games Summit creator Ben Sawyer.

“We have not yet perfected that hybrid version of game-simulation,” Sawyer points out as he explains the incompatibility of military training with commercial video games. He explains that video games are developed to entertain and not to train soldiers.

Gamers may remember that video games like the Metal Gear Solid series have touched on issues related to virtual reality being used to train perfect soldiers like one of its characters Raiden. The military acknowledges using similar methods for training, but maintains that it has nothing to do with mainstream gaming.