(From National Defense Magazine) -- A lot of virtual training happens in video game-like environments, where soldiers see combat through the eyes of a superhero character. But if the Army is going to train its troops through gaming, officials say the characters in the virtual world should perform more like actual soldiers.

That is one part of the reasoning behind a new idea the Army has to create avatars for every soldier. These digital representations would accompany service members throughout their training and allow them to see, through simulation, how their skills, or lack thereof, would play in life and death situations.

The influence of video games on military training has been substantial, and the military’s interest in avatars—for soldiers and other actors in simulations—is growing.

Read more.

Related reading from T+D:

Engaging the Learner: Gamification Strives to Keep the User’s Interest Best Practices for Facilitating Simulations