In the second part of our investigation into the use of games by the American military, we look at the way games designed for marines affect the products consumers can buy.
Emma Parkinson

So what are the Leathernecks learning, night-by-night, hunched in the flickering glow, not of a battlefield, but of a PC monitor? Well, quite a lot, according the Marines' Tactical Decision Making pages. Stressed here is the fact that, "The ability to make effective decisions in the face of extreme stress and uncertainty is an essential prerequisite of command," and that such decision making "is a skill, which improves with constant, purposeful practice". Or to put it another way, the strategic choices that you're forced to make time-after-time when playing a videogame are a highly effective way of reinforcing General Krulak's Military Thinking and Decision Making directive, providing a platform where Marines can think about war-fighting every day.

Of course, there would be no point learning about these war-fighting models if the scenarios they presented weren't accurate. If your troops could take thousands of rounds of ammo before they dropped, or your enemy fled the minute you pulled out a big shiny mirror and terrified them with the reflected rays of the sun, your Marines wouldn't necessarily be in the tip-top shape you expected of them when they hit the battlefield. Because of this need for realism, every game is solidly tested to ensure that the sound application of tactics results in a suitable conclusion. The Marines recommend nothing where shouting "Boo!" has the same effect on the enemy as a 75-millimetre Howitzer shell.

Strategic Simulations Inc.'s Panzer General, for example, is described as a scenario where: "The player must become familiar with the inherent capabilities and limitations of his ground and air units, and task organize them to provide the strongest possible force." It's expected to be played by "students of maneuver warfare who wish to play a tactical decision game which explores and rewards the blitzkrieg style of warfare". The game's compliance with 52 of the points on the Marines' Uniform Joint Task List is pointed out, and the fact that it may not be suitable for "a commander who would roll over opponents by keeping them on the defensive" is also handily noted.