Today I would continue training. First stop, Advanced Marksmanship. Oops. Not available. Apparently when I did basic marksmanship in BCT, I only qualified as Sharpshooter. I need to qualify as Expert to be eligible for Advanced Marksmanship. This requires I go back to BCT and requalify. I need to get 36 hits out of 40 shots. It was pretty easy once I realized I was supposed to press the right mouse button to get to use the iron sites rather than the "green dot". So then it was on to Advanced Marksmanship. This is long range guns. You have to use the scope (which fortunately I now know requires the right mouse button.) I hate to say it, but this part was kinda fun. I was most impressed with the programming that went into using these long range guns with scopes. You could hear "Bill Qualls as Soldier" simultaneously trying to breath and hold his breath as he attempts to steady the gun. The scope is almost on target, and then "floats" away as you expend your breath. I caught myself actually holding my breath! And I'm only using a mouse! I had to laugh at myself. How's that for an "embodied" experience? But I did qualify!
So then it was off to Special Forces training. The "Introduction" course was really bogus. You walk around to eight different people and listen to them tell about their job. When you listen to all eight, that's it, you're done.
So having passed the SF introduction, it's off to Escape and Evasion training. You fly in by helicopter and get dropped off in the woods and you have to make your way to three different objectives without being seen. Note that there is no instruction given.
"Slow and low", they tell you. "Stay off of ridges or places where you will be silhouetted." Does this constitute learning? For that matter, does the target audience know what "silhouetted" means? Anyway, I can mock as much as I like, but I didn't make it. Not even to the first checkpoint. I was spotted everytime. I find the simulated darkness very difficult: I don't think that's what Gee meant when he referred to am embodied experience. This is slow and b-o-r-i-n-g. I can hardly wait for next week to try it again....
Jason - I appreciate your suggestion that I change games. My son is wishing I would, in hopes that I will understand his obsession with video games. But I don't think it matters: as I've said before, it's not video games in particular, it's games in general. I just see it all as wasted time. Maybe the game will improve when I finish all the training modules. Note this is not to say I haven't gotten something out of this course. I absolutely have. For me, the most significant part of this course so far -- the big "ah ha" moment -- came with Gee pages 84-87. I would be happy to discuss with you if you'd like.
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