The Secret Service Will Be Training On Fancy Video Games

The US Secret Service, in a throwback to the 20th century, is currently train using tabletop simulations. Realising that 1944 was a long time ago, they’re now looking to replace that with video games.

Specifically, with a “virtual reality” environment that uses a 55-inch stereoscopic 3D display to let trainees enter a simulated training area and view proceedings in either a first-person or third-person perspective.

The engine powering this will be familiar to gamers: it’s called Virtual Battlespace, and is the product of original Operation Flashpoint (and ArmA) developers Bohemia Interactive.

This fancy new tech replaces something called – wait for it – “Tiny Town”, a bunch of little model streets and locations that have been used by the Secret Service since the 1960s.

Secret Service Replacing Scale Models With Game-Based Training [Gamasutra]