"How army training made me a better gamer"

“We’re being shelled! Get in cover!” The cry jerked me into alertness, and I dived headfirst into a bunker. There was silence, then a series of earth-shattering explosions, sending sand crashing down around us.

A day earlier I had arrived at work, only to be packed off to Suffolk to attend a day of paratrooper training to celebrate the release of Medal of Honor: Airborne. Being notoriously bad at first-person shooters, my goal was simple: get some training and return a better player.

If you want to improve your firstperson shooter (FPS) game play, investing in a bit of real-life training could be the key. There are plenty of real-life scenarios you can join in with, and they can really help to focus your mind on the tactics you need to employ in your online combat. Paintballing (shooting each other with paint pellets) and airsoft (using lightweight, air-filled pellets) provide the most accurate depictions of FPS gaming.

Show no fear

Emerging from the bunker was a nervewracking experience as the shelling had consisted of brick-sized charges in the ground being detonated to simulate a mortar attack. It was terrifying.

We were ordered to move forward and split up in an effort to ‘fool’ the enemy on the other side of the forest. The day was surprisingly hot and with all the combat gear I was finding it pretty unbearable; carrying the machine gun was an effort in itself, but the fear injected me with renewed energy.

The commander of our unit decided to advance one squad towards enemy positions, drawing fire to that side; in the ensuing firefight, our squad was to flank the enemy and attack from the other side. Another tactic we employed against our poor entrenched foes was to lay down covering fire, effectively pinning them to their positions. This reduced our likelihood of getting shot while advancing, and allowed us to move through areas without much cover.

Using these tactics in firstperson shooters is more difficult as they require you to have a willing accomplice to help you out. In some single player FPS games, such as Rainbow Six: Vegas, you have a computer team you can deploy, and your survival is dependent on how you use them. However, real-time communication can be easily achieved in multiplayer games by investing in a gaming headset. Teaming up in this way may be the only way to defeat the hordes of 12-year-olds who have honed their mouse skills to a fine art.

In the field, with strong decision making and clear communication, our tactics worked and we quickly overcame the opposition. So I experienced a testosterone-boosting ‘win’ on the battlefield. But does this kind of training really come in useful when playing firstperson shooters? Well, the brief spell in boot camp has changed the way I view the gaming experience. Before I ran around blindly, facing better players and getting beaten every time. Now I put more effort into judging my location, ensuring I place myself in protected positions and keeping an eye on the movements of my team-mates.

The problem is that until fairly recently, first-person shooters haven’t really offered the space for realistic thought and creativity in our gaming. Luckily, the technology is improving, and games such as Medal of Honor: Airborne and Bioshock are delivering the kind of non-linear game play where real-life experiences can play a beneficial role in your virtual battles. And at least the controllers are a lot lighter to handle than a machine gun.