EST 2000: Video Games for Soldiers

The Engagement Skills Trainer 2000 is one of the best training tools the United States government ever came up with for the military.  The accuracy of the equipment, wide range of scenarios, and fun element that the military members get out of it make this a great training exercise.

Located inside a plain looking trailer type building, the EST 2000 is comprised of a completely black room with a certain number of stations set up with fairly realistic weapons hooked up.  There is a projector that projects a premade scenario on the wall.  There can be anything from a simple firing range to a complex scenario with enemies and such.

The best part about this system, though, is the amount of fun military members have while using it.  Instead of being outside, facing the elements, doing some sort of grueling training exercise, they can be inside playing a video game.  It is a great way to work on the fundamentals of firing a weapon or decision making skills in certain scenarios without having to deal with the distractions that other training exercises create.  Of course, the next step in training would be to get used to those other distractions and such because in a real world situation they would be there, but this is a good beginner tool to work on the fundamentals before moving to the next step.

Not only that, but it is a great way to reach today’s technology-driven generation.  A majority of service members today grew up with video games.  A lot of them only joined the military because they thought it was cool on the video games they like to play.  This system is a great way to get their attention with something as important as being able to fire their weapon.

All in all this is a great training tool.  Between the accuracy of the system and the fun value military members get out of it, it creates a great fun atmosphere for soldiers to hone their weapon firing and decision making skills.