# Virtual Hurt Lockers America's Army Teaches Kids How to Defuse Real Bombs By Omar Yusuf | Published 2011-08-04 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/americas-army References: [gizmodo](http://gizmodo.com/5827070/wanna-learn-how-to-defuse-real-bombs-play-video-games) & [fastcompany](http://www.fastcompany.com/1771044/how-hurt-locker-soldiers-train-with-video-games) In the newest iteration of the Defense Department's now-infamous recruitment game, 'America's Army,' players will be treated to a hyperrealistic orientation on ordinance deactivation. By the end of the summer, your kid will be a veteran bomb defuser. Since 2003, software developers have attempted to introduce a robust [bomb disposal tutorial](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/smart-city-defender) to America's Army, but to no avail -- until now! By guiding an [in-game robot](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/injection-simulator), gamers will familiarize themselves with the ins and outs of bomb-making and disposal. But remember, it's not just 13-year-old children playing America's Army, but future recruits and service people. This project significantly lowers the cost associated with training explosives experts, which are generally astronomical for the military, and slowly eases future soldiers into the stress-inducing world of bombs. Today, military training continues to move away from boot camps and toward [virtual meeting rooms](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wiseworld). We may end up with less athletic marines, but they'll probably know bombs and weapons like the back of their hands! ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.2/10 - Popularity: 14% | Activity: 15% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 70% men, 30% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/games) ## Key Themes ### What Makes This Trend Stand Out - **Virtual Military Training:** The trend is towards virtual training for military personnel which improves accessibility, lower costs, reduces danger and provides efficient, in-depth training. - **Gamification of Education:** Gamification of education is fast gaining ground for difficult and high-stress in-person or on-the-job training, and providing a cost-effective way for creating a dynamic learning experience - **Edutainment:** Edutainment is emerging as an innovative solution merging playful entertainment and informative education, offering learners an engaging and immersive experience. ### Sectors Adopting This - **Defense:** Defense industries can leverage VR and simulation technologies to build immersive and realistic military training programs that can help reduce costs and enhance the training experience for recruits and personnel. - **Education:** With the increasing use of gamification, education sector can adopt virtual training platforms and curriculums to provide learners with an interactive and immersive learning experience. - **Entertainment:** Entertainment industries can explore the edutainment model to develop immersive games and simulations that offer users an exciting and educational experience simultaneously. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Monstrous Horror Video Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/horror-video-games.md) - [Military Simulation Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/rainbow-six-mobile.md) - [Immersive Fighting Math Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/karate-math-dojo.md) - [Internet Safety Metaverses](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/be-internet-awesome-world.md) - [Immersive Memory Loss Simulators](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/lost-in-the-world.md) - [VR Cooking Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vr-cooking-game.md) - [Gamer-Targeted Donor Campaigns](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-donors.md) - [Impactful Gaming Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/humanity-games.md) - [3D Holographic Game Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/vividq-call-of-duty.md)