Wow. Take that, Jack Thompson. | |
AA may be a very blunt and questionable recruiting tool, but this is truly respectable. Although i would be too afraid and sceptic to apply videogame knowledge to real life situations, especially if the life (or wellbeing) of another person depends on it | |
Now that's awesome. Suck it down anti-videogaming politics. | |
See kids, only playing in hardcore mode will give you the skillz to win in real life. | |
Ditto Call of Duty 4. Unless it's what you were referring to in the first place. | |
Basic first aid is really very simple. Just a half dussin sentances to remember and follow to save a life. | |
Stole the words right out of my keyboard. | |
Videogames save lives! I heard of this Norweigan kid in the news who whe confronted with an angry moose "feighted death" to survive, witch he had learned from his hunter in World of Warcraft | |
In all likelihood the attention-seeker-who-must-not-be-named would just turn it around and say, "see, vidja games are training simulators!" Anyway, good on Paxton. Society needs more people who don't stand idly by and wait for the "proper authorities" to arrive, by which time it may be too late. That's not to denounce the "proper authorities" or say they aren't necessary and beneficial; they just aren't always fast enough. | |
That is basically the greatest thing I have ever heard. | |
yay for CoD4 and my favourite gametype. This is great. Take that you crazy liberals. | |
... believing that video games can teach you things like first aid and how to use it in such situations may include that they can teach you how to kill! besides: have you ever heard of the veterans that risked their asses in Iraq, who demonstrated against this game!? well, their point is, that war is not a game and promoting war by using a game as a recruiting tool to gain kids (which love games) as soldiers for wars which are (mostly) wars of aggression, is simply wrong! i have tons of respect for this guy and it's an honorable thing what he did! but believing that this game makes you a hero is just like believing that other games make you a killing machine! i don't think that video games have a negative effect on kids at all, as long as they live in a friendly society, environment and family! i'm sorry for false grammar! i'm a foreigner! | |
heh, so the hobby's good for something after all. | |
Acquiring working knowledge of CPR is much easier through "slides" than learning to aim with a real gun. Knowing when, where and how to apply pressure to a wound can be communicated quite clearly through a simple screen, and doesn't require a lot of interpretation or skill to perform. You just need to know the basics. Firing a gun on the other hand can never be taught over a computer screen, for the simple reason of competitiveness in games (even with lightguns, a mouse is preferable for better control), and because it's nothing like shooting with a real gun. You don't have recoil, for example. You don't get taught on how a gun is reloaded, or how it works, or when it doesn't work. You never get taught the real life physics of bullet travel paths, involding gravity, wind and curvature of the planet. At least, not in games. Sniper rifles for example are a completely different entity in real life than they are portrayed as in games... It's worlds apart. This game taught people the basics of CPR, people who've never bothered to learn it otherwise. That is something no one can overlook, and something that has probably already saved more lives than the one reported here. | |
A true american hero, considering that a video game taught me to read a map and compass I think this could go somewhere. | |
that is sick, Jack Thompson doesn't have shit on us now! | |
Overlook the video games influence? How about overlooking the fact that he, among others, wouldn't know what to do without having played Americas Army? I mean your public school curriculum covers this... (Just cut "health" from our schools...no one will notice...) | |
Why not just teach everyone basic first aid at school. It'd be easier and probably cheaper. | |
While this is a good addition to the whole swamp of video-game related bullshit to oppose Jack Thompson etc... I'm pretty sure whatever he did was basic knowledge, though. I mean, playing with tools and all, as a kid, I've received plenty of cuts - and the first response when lacking some kind of a bandaid would be to lift my hand above my head so the blood flow has to fight against gravity. Edit: Also, hurrrrr. My shitty Elementary and Middle School experience in Russia didn't just leave me with 1337 math skills that grew obsolete by grade 11 here... they actually taught us useful things in health class, despite absolutely shitty educational system, a crazy gym teacher and so on. CPR, first aid, everything. Come to think of it, we were also taught how to shoot with air rifles. And our gym/health teacher was a crazy conspiracy nut who was afraid our town's nuclear reactor blowing the fuck up. Wow, I almost feel nostalgic about that surreal experience. | |
I agree... There are plenty of things that most, if not all, high school graduates will NEVER use that get plenty of hours in school. Why not spice things a little and add something as important, useful and certainly practical as basic first aid? No idea =/ | |
*Man is hurt* "Uh...help me, I'm hurt.." | |
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America's Army Training Helps Save Accident Victims
Paxton Galvanek credits America's Army for giving him the mad lifesaving skillz he demonstrated when he witnessed a horrific traffic accident on the I-40 in North Carolina.
After seeing an SUV go out of control and roll about five times, Galvanek stopped and ran across the highway to the crashed vehicle while his wife called 911. Two people were inside the SUV; Galvanek removed the passenger and got him away from the vehicle, and after assessing him as having only minor cuts and injuries, instructed him to remain clear while he retrieved the driver. The driver was much more seriously injured, with two lost fingers, head trauma and profuse bleeding; employing the knowledge he had gained from America's Army, Galvanek located a towel, put pressure on the victim's hand and instructed him to sit down while keeping his hand elevated over his head and pressure applied to the wound. Examining the head wound further, he determined the cut was not as serious as the injured hand.
Approximately five minutes later, an Army soldier with medical training arrived and took over the situation, telling Galvanek he had done a "great job" and that there was nothing more he could do until the paramedics arrived. With the situation in hand, Galvanek left the scene of the accident and continued on his way.
"I have received no prior medical training and can honestly say that because of the training and presentations within America's Army, I was able to help and possibly save the injured men," Galvanek wrote in a letter to the America's Army team. "As I look back on the events of that day, the training that I received in the America's Army videogame keeps coming to mind."
In order to qualify as a combat medic in the game, players must take "virtual medical training classes" similar to those taught to real U.S. soldiers, learning to evaluate and prioritize casualties, control bleeding, recognize and treat shock and administer aid when victims are not breathing.
"Because of the training he received in America's Army's virtual classroom, Mr. Galvanek had mastered the basics of first aid and had the confidence to take appropriate action when others might do nothing. He took the initiative to assess the situation, prioritize actions and apply the correct procedures," said America's Army Project Director Colonel Casey Wardynski. "Paxton is a true hero. We are pleased to have played a role in providing the lifesaving training that he employed so successfully at the scene."
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