US Army Trains With SimCity Baghdad
Looking to train against a counterinsurgency? You might want to follow in the footsteps of the US Army and try “SimUrban,” a.k.a., “SimCity Baghdad.” It’s a counterinsurgency simulator that places less of a focus on shooting the enemy and more of a focus on restoring power, water, schools and roads to a frustrated population.
Instead of facing tornadoes, hurricanes or giant metal spider attacks, you’ll have to deal with suicide bombers, corrupt officials and insurgent enclaves. Pretty cool!
The game’s design was chronicled in last month’s issue of The Atlantic. From the article: “The worst student so far ended up with 70 percent of the town against him…he thought the only way to increase civil security was to go bust down people’s doors,” said Randall Hill, the game’s creator. A version for Afghanistan will be out in a few months. Hopefully, all our future wars will have some flavor of SimCity attached to them!
Source & Image Source: Kotaku
