To combat Somali pirates, the U.S. Navy has relied on warships, snipers and SEAL teams. Now, it is turning to the heavy artillery: Internet gamers.
This month, the Office of Naval Research will roll out the military’s first online war game open to the public, crowd-sourcing the challenges of maritime security to thousands of “players” sitting in front of their computers.
The project — named MMOWGLI, for Massively Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet — aims to replicate a traditional military strategy session on an exponentially larger scale, bringing together a diverse mix of government and outside experts. More than 7,000 people have signed up.
Through virtual simulation and social-media tools made popular on Twitter and Facebook, players will work together to respond to a series of make-believe geopolitical scenarios set off when private ships are hijacked off Somalia’s coast.
For example: “Three pirate ships are holding the world hostage. Chinese-U.S. relations are strained to the limit, and both countries have naval ships in the area. Humanitarian aid for rig workers is blocked. The world is blaming the U.S. for plundering African resources.”
Players are then confronted with two boxes — innovate and defend — asking which new resources could “turn the tide” and what risks might result.
