Repel Boarders "The Video Game"

The old adage “practice makes perfect” takes many forms. Athletes call it muscle memory where you do same physical moves over and over until you don’t even have to think, you just do. Musicians say they’re in the groove when rhythm and melody flow together without much mental effort. Logical-Mathematical Intelligence is developed when an individual through practice can recognize sequential patterns such as 1 + 1 = 2 or 1,055 joules = 1 BTU or where there’s smoke there’s fire.

Therefore, the brain learns through pattern recognition and deduction, the more embedded the pattern the stronger the memory and the quicker and easier the response. Which brings us to shipboards drills, you remember those, reactor scram, fire in the galley, torpedo hot run, WSRT, etc. Now the Navy is putting a new twist to the Repel Boarders drill - practice it with a video game.

Navy SSN 688 class submarine crews will use a custom built video game to practice anti-terrorism tactics aboard ship. The company 3Dsolve developed what is called a Force Protection Anti-Terrorism Simulation Trainer, a three-dimensional, first person view, decision making game.

National Defense Magazine has an article you can read for the details on this new twist to a common shipboard drill.

When given access 3Dsolve animation developers said they were stunned by the complexity they found inside a SSN 688 class submarine. Only 688 class Subs at the Submarine Base in New London have had scenarios created but the Navy plans on a new version to include SSBN 726 class submarines and additional port scenarios.

In 1981 I would play Asteroids at the video arcade in Virginia Beach while at Dam Neck FBM “C” school. But, I never thought someday you could play something just short of DOOM3 for your watchstation quals, times have changed!