So this is sort of a regular blog slash console nostalgia type deal. Most of us can probably recall a special game that helped us develop our sense of tactics and strategy whether it be Master of Orion, Age of Empires, or, in this case, Rainbow Six 3. You see, games have a very effective way of giving us an inside look at what the real pros go through on a daily basis. Games like the above let us explore the various ways to accomplish a goal using nothing but wit and resources.
Over the past few days I have been playing around with Rainbow Six 3 as it is one of the earliest games I played on the original Xbox console; I’m sure you remember it. It was pretty straightforward: a group of private soldiers from all over the world team up to take on terrorists and free hostages, not necessarily in that order. But more than the satisfaction that comes with completing a difficult task is the side-effect of learning how to effectively execute a mission. See, there are several special operations units all over the world who dedicate their lives to taking out bad guys in a fast and efficient way. Probably most of us will never experience that lifestyle, and I hope most of us don’t. But given that we have a medium that gives us a first-person perspective, I think we can all agree that games like Rainbow Six 3 and various other simulation platforms help us to better understand that type of lifestyle.
So Rainbow Six 3…yeah, it was often very frustrating because a single slip up could and would get you and your team killed. It took sometimes hours of practice to be able to complete a singleplayer mission with your squad intact, the enemey neutralized, and the civilians safe from harm. And that’s exactly why it is an effective tool for conveying the rigors of hostage rescue and counter terrorist operations. See in real life, or at least according to my research and studies, counter terrorist and police forces go through insane amounts of training and practice using props and mannequins to prepare themselves for the real deal. What is special about RB6: 3 is how close to reality it is. What’s that, you ask? A game that actually mirrors real life? Yes, it is true. RB6: 3 pits you against enemies with guns who can just as easily kill you as you can them. It is very angering and frustrating to die when you thought you were a perfect marksman. And that is my point. After so much practice you begin to hone your skills and learn how to intuitively sense where an enemy might be, how he might think, and how to counteract such difficulty.
Every iteration of a mission forces you to remember what you learned from the previous one and adapt to new situations. In other words, it makes you learn to expect the unexpected. So with that said, I encourage you would-be defenders of freedom to take a look at a video game that adopts some very effective learning methods that will help not only sharpen your FPS skills but perhaps even your real life reflexes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqLfvtgosu8
And be sure to take a look at some of training involved in the lives of the real life pros:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59fL6ej_B-I
