The Pentagon Invades Your Xbox
LA Times. 14 December 2003
By Nick Turse

Next year will also mark the release of the next generation in militarized war games: "Full Spectrum Warrior" -- a video game for Microsoft's Xbox system. The game is a realistic combat simulator that allows the gamer to act as an Army light infantry squad leader conducting operations in the invented nation of "Tazikhstan ... a haven for terrorists and extremists." And "Full Spectrum Warrior" is not just any old military-themed video game. It was developed under the watchful eye of personnel at the Army's Infantry School at Ft. Benning, Ga., and is actually a revamped version of "Full Spectrum Command," a PC game/combat simulator used by the military to teach the fundamentals of commanding a light infantry company in urban environments. Thus, unlike other shoot-'em-ups that use violent imagery and military themes strictly for entertainment purposes, "Full Spectrum Warrior's" pedigree is that of a combat learning tool.

The "Full Spectrum" games emerged from a new kind of partnership being forged at the Institute for Creative Technologies, a $45- million joint Army/USC venture designed to link up the military with academia and the entertainment and video game industries. In addition to creating "Full Spectrum Command" and "Full Spectrum Warrior," the institute is involved in a number of other military projects. These include "Advanced Leadership Training Simulation," a partnership between the institute and entertainment giant Paramount Pictures designed for training soldiers in crisis management and leadership skills; and "Think Like a Commander," a collaboration among the Army, the Hollywood filmmaking community and USC researchers designed to "support leadership development for U.S. Army soldiers" through software applications.

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