How is the other perspective seen in military games?
The other perspective is quite visible in military games. The sole purpose of writing this Dissertation proposal is to vividly elaborate how the other perspective is seen in military games and its significance in the real world.
In games, generally, the gamers often choose one side and they become the protagonist or the hero and the computer or another gamer takes the other side and may become the alien, the antagonist or may represent any character opposing the original character or group of characters.
The other perspective therefore implies the gamer choosing a side which is not the so obvious side.This helps so much as it helps the gamer to see a situation but from the other perspective. Games are designed to address cases in which the outcome or result of a person’s decision depends not only on their own way of choosing several options but also on the choice made by other people they are interacting with.
Designers of Games do so with a wide range of objectives. Some do so targeting the entertainment world. Others do so with the sole purpose of learning yet others still do so with so sophisticated reasons which may not be quite relevant in this piece of literature. But in general, the purpose is to convey message to a targeted group of people.
Narrowing down to military games, they are designed with the purpose of entertainment and training of soldiers. A soldier could be made to play a military game and choose one side with the assessors keenly studying. This enables the trainers to know what the soldier could have done in an actual situation and advise him/her accordingly.
The soldier’s diligence in interacting with other soldiers and with the computer generated enemies is identified. Games are preferred in the training because the modern games are realistic. This means that the game space the gamer (trainee soldier) is in, sounds feels and looks authentic.
A real world in the game is one that appears to conform to the same natural laws as the universe we live in. this implies that people cannot walk through walls or fly or breathe in water, when shot or slashed one falls down, bleeds, is either injured or dead.
Real games enable the trainees to view the gaming space as they would in the real combat field. The reason this is used is because of political and economic reasons. It is therefore vivid that the gamer (trainee soldier) is immersed in the daily reality of the army thus providing the soldier with a virtual role and an inside perspective of the reality. The game therefore provides the soldier with experiences over a number of occupations.
An example of a game that matches this argument is one in which two soldiers are imprisoned in an alien state. They are to face trial and each of them to make a confession and disclose information about the other. If one discloses information about the other, the jail term reduces to 122 months, if one fails to disclose information, they are both imprisoned for life.
If both disclose information about each other, the jail term goes up to 12 months for both. If both decline to disclose information, they face each other in a caged ring where only one person leaves breathing, implying that one soldier has to die. If one soldier does not kill the other then both will be killed by a guard who is also a trained soldier. During the trial, only one prisoner appears at a time .this is to ensure that the information disclosed by one prisoner is not overheard by the other prisoner in order not to affect the other prisoner’s decision.
The challenge is to see both soldiers escaping alive.The soldiers could be men or women. . A trainee soldier could assume to be in the situation and the loyalty, confidence and many more traits tested.
In my Dissertation proposal, I will use section titles. The first will be an introduction where I will clearly state the thesis and the purpose of my research. I will outline the main reason for writing the paper. I will further explain the approach procedure I will use, I will explain finally in the introduction the major points I plan to cover and why readers should actually be interested in my paper.
The points to be covered will be a brief introduction on military games, the problems of reality and realism in military computer games; I will then discuss the relationship between the Military games, giving an example to support the argument. I will discuss the other perspective and how it is seen in the game examples.
This will be followed by the body where I will present my arguments to support the thesis state Dissertation proposal. The final section will be the conclusion. I will reword my thesis and make an analytical summary to my arguments then explain why I have made such a conclusion.
John and Compel (eds.) Cyborg worlds: the military in sequence society (free association 2009)
Geoff King's article. (edited by Atkins and Krzywinska).
Edward Said's book titled Orientalism.
Patrick Crogan Gameplay Mode: Between War, Simulation and Technoculture (forthcoming)
Melanie SwallWell" Thisisnt a computer game you know!” revising the computer games/televised war analogy. - (http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05150.18371)
Levidow and Robins (eds.) Cyborg worlds: the military information society (free association 1989)
Donald Featherstone War Games throughout the Ages vol 2. 1420-1783 (RKP 1974) U310: F444vol2
Jerry, G. computer game: Simulation and Technoculture: NY. Harvard press.
