Chris Ryan thinks us nerds would make good soldiers...

[ShadowsofHope]

ok i have to ask this do you think we hit "soft" targets on perpose? no thats what happens when people get bad intel. the brits have screwed up as have most of the UN.

I am aware this happens, yes. Though no one can deny, sometimes the military has a little less-than-honest motives for their targets.

Now i need to ask this, do you support our troops? (you dont have to apove the war to support our troops)

I support the Canadian troops being a Canadian citizen, and any other troop going there, yes. Not for the cause, but for the courage to run into a battlefield by choice.

 

[ShadowsofHope]

No, I still don't find killing Muslims with a remote drone in Afghanistan from an armchair to be any bit "entertaining", thank you.

Really? You and I are two very different people.

My thoughts exactly, and I don't care what religion they are, I'll kill people from an armchair. Muslims, Christians, atheists, Pastafarians...I don't discriminate. Now make with the shooty and the boomy and the brain splattery goodness.

A nice vague strawman there. I don't care what religion you are either, but I have nothing against Muslim individuals that would make me want to sign up for the military to a place in which I would be forced to inevitably kill someone I do not think deserves death.

If we are talking about the Taliban or Al Queda? Sure, but not anything more. There is more to the Middle East than just terrorist cells, as some people do not seem to realize.

What in SimuLord's post made you want to talk about how non-racist you are? Nothing there whatsoever to imply he wants to make muslims dead (As in, muslims and only muslims).

I never implied such. I was referring to the ethnicity of most of the targets that one faces in the current war to date. And part of my reasoning for not supporting the premises of the war itself.

 

[Macgyvercas]

Seeing as I've been wanting to get into the military for quite sometime, and the fact that I would probably be crap on the front lines due to lack of strength, piloting a drone would be interesting.

I'd have to brush up on flight sims, though.

 

[demoman_chaos]

I would sign up, be the easiest and safest job in the military considering the folks we are currently fighting's only anti-air weapon is an unguided rocket.

 

[SteakHeart]

It's a hard choice. I wouldn't be killing them personally, but at the same time, I'd still be killing. Now, a bomb squad 'bot, I would SO use that.

 

[CarpathianMuffin]

Well, except for griefers of course

Multiple friendly fire incidents followed by juvenile laughing? "Why are these drones hitting our tanks!?"

The future of the military, folks!

Well as long as the Taliban are all ardent gamers as well it'll be all ok ^^

Oh yes, I can imagine them playing Call of Duty while hiding out. I mean how else would they train?

I hope this is true. We'll know the validity of it when the Taliban start arming *everyone* with grenade launchers.

*Sigh* We can dream, right? We can dream...

 

[The Night Shade]

Of course i would be able to control a droid while taking no harm

 

[The Bum]

Command we have the potty mouthed forigners in our sights they appear to be arming a missle.....HOLY SHIT THEY'VE SEEN ME!

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Beats trench foot. I'm sure this has been the subject of a movie or TV show where a company uses a video game as a cover to get kids to pilot attack drones. They were told they were testing a new game, but really blowing up live targets.

Basically I think flight sim players would be proficient, but really I doubt you'd have more than a slight head start if pitted against non-gamers. Those hours playing driving games didn't help me learn to drive faster than my sister. I kept on going for the racing line around corners.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Honestly you really don't want gamers in the pilot seat. Most gamers I've met are independant thinkers, which do NOT make good soldiers. I know this from experience. I had a medical discharge from the Army a few years back (knee injury... *sad face*) and I had to spend time in a Holding Company that was 1/2 medical dischargees awaiting their papers and 1/2 washouts.

Most of the washouts fit into one of three categories:

1. Mental breakdowns: These guys were either too violent to be good soldiers, too emotional to handle combat stress or just plain nutcases that broke under pressure. I stayed away from most of them for health reasons.

2. People lacking integrity/Lazy spoiled brats: These guys are the ones you see whining and complaining how their job is so hard (McDonalds) and they deserve to get paid for doing little to nothing. Or they're the guys who came here for a quick paycheck, found it was hard work and lied about being Gay to get out of their contract.

3. Independant Thinkers: These are the guys that I actually could associate with and not either feel like I was slumming it or about to be killed for my socks (serious... PM me about that last part if you're interested I have a story that involves that topic). These guys were all game enthusiasts, who were actually running a D&D campaign at night in the barracks. They were getting discharged because they kept asking questions instead of jumping to the orders.

The military itself isn't a good place for independant thinkers. They want people who will obey orders without question (reasonable orders mind you) because in a combat situation thinking about your order might just get you and your buddies killed. Most game enthusiasts I know fit this model. Now I won't say every game enthusiast isn't military material. I made it through pretty well (except for the whole knee injury...).
But if you look at it, how many people you play multiplayer games with do you think would be good team players/take orders well? Moreover how many of them do you think wouldn't wreck the UAV's then look for the do-over option?
Just think how many times you've been on a match with FF enabled and been TK'ed from behind by some asshole who laughs at you when he does it.

 

[I am Jack's profile]

what we need is a bunch of korean starcraft players Running our military operations from a helicopter in the sky

then are army could have the benifits of sweet micro and the ability to defeat potential alien invasion

If Flash was in this role i would sign up to be in the military imidiately.

oT

I don't think anything to do with gamming could be used effectivly in a real combt situation

 

[joshuaayt]

What? Isn't this the same plot old movies would use, to establish just how desensitized gamers are to violence? ...I seem to remember it in Toys.

I don't like it. Or, rather, I don't like the videogame swing this guy has applied to it. I mean, the idea is fine, it stops pilots from needlessly dying, but trying to recruit people by implying that it'll be a fun ol' ride down non consequential removed perspective lane seems rather immoral. We are still talking about killing people, right? From what I've heard, killing people is hard- especially if you aren't prepped for the reality of the weight of your actions.

EDIT: I know that 'recruit' is a bit of a strong word, but I *know* that plenty of young adults would read that article and think "Day-um, that's cool. Can't wait till I grow up and do that!"

 

[Gudrests]

Well, except for griefers of course

Multiple friendly fire incidents followed by juvenile laughing? "Why are these drones hitting our tanks!?"

HA HA HA .....i think screaming at everyone call them a ni...bad word might get us all fired real quick like...still fun sounding lol

 

[Vykrel]

why does everyone against this seem to think that it is purely for entertainment.

its a freaking job people, and a damn good one for any gamers wanting to get into the military but arent very physical.

 

[GrinningManiac]

Well...no

Because when I 'kill' someone on, say, TF2, I find it hilarious, as he dies with a funny scream and a hilarious animation. If he has voicechat, the guy curses. I laugh at my 'getting one over' this stranger, and I know he's still alive and compeltley unharmed

With a drone, I'd drop the payload, fly away and then spend every waking moment thereafter torturing myself over the fact that human beings with souls and lives and families and names DIED at my hand. And I didn't even give them any sort of warning or 'honour'. I didn't even look them in the face...give them a chance...give them anything at all except the painful oblivion of hot, sharp shrapnel

No thanks

 

[Bravo 21]

No, I still don't find killing Muslims with a remote drone in Afghanistan from an armchair to be any bit "entertaining", thank you.

Really? You and I are two very different people.

My thoughts exactly, and I don't care what religion they are, I'll kill people from an armchair. Muslims, Christians, atheists, Pastafarians...I don't discriminate. Now make with the shooty and the boomy and the brain splattery goodness.

You are a sick person, really. Why the hell would you kill Pastafarians? Do you want the pirate era to end once and for all? Do you, punk?

Not only bringing about the end of a glorious pirate era, but dooming us all to the horrible affects of rapidly escalating climate change! how dare he!

 

[slipknot4]

Would it be like piloting to AC 130 in Call of Duty?

I'd totally sign up for that.

I wouldn't pass on being that guy who tells the soldiers about their killstreaks.

"Attack helicopter standing by. Good job soldier"
- I'd make a difference.