I’m Not a Spy…I Only Play One in a Videogame
There’s an interesting piece in Wired today, “U.S. Spies Use Custom Videogames to Learn How to Think.” I’ve pasted an excerpt below. It’s a good read, so head over and check it out.
In the wake of the intelligence bungles that propelled the United States into the Iraq war, it’s no secret that the nation’s spies have been working to improve the quality of their analysis. Now the top U.S. military intelligence agency has come up with a new tool for teaching recruits critical thinking skills: videogames.
The U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency has just taken delivery of three PC-based games, developed by simulation studio Visual Purple under a $2.6 million contract between the DIA and defense contractor Concurrent Technologies. The goal is to quickly train the next generation of spies to analyze complex issues like Islamic fundamentalism.
Given a choice between a droning classroom lecture or a videogame, the best method for teaching Generation Y was obvious. “It is clear that our new workforce is very comfortable with this approach,” says Bruce Bennett, chief of the analysis-training branch at the DIA’s Joint Military Intelligence Training Center. (More here.)
–Sean
Technorati Tags: videogames, intelligence analysis, DIA, Defense Intelligence Agency, spies
