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Flights of Fancy

Posted on 17 Aug 2009 at 11:35

 

Gallery

It's historically accurate, but that doesn't make it realistic. When there's no danger of physical damage, it's hard to recreate the terror of a life-threatening crisis in software. "You know in a real plane that if you cock it up then at best you're going to get really hurt, and at worst it's going to be very serious," says Sidwick. "You don't get that in a sim."

Perhaps that's why the US military uses paint-balling as a training method. Death may not be imminent, but the threat of a stinging hit must sharpen the mind. Perhaps the next step is a pain-inducing body suit that makes the players in computer games feel the hits, as James Bond does in Never Say Never Again. "Unlike armchair generals," evil Maximillian tells Bond, "we will share the pain of our soldiers, in the form of electric shocks." It's hard to see this getting past the Health and Safety Executive, though.

Author: Stewart Mitchell

For more details about purchasing this feature and/or images for editorial usage, please contact Jasmine Samra on pictures@dennis.co.uk

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