US airmen get Xbox Live in Europe ($200,000 in taxpayer money)

Gamespot ^ | 07/25/2003 | Matthew Broersma

[xrp]

Airmen across the continent can now spend their downtime fragging online enemies.

Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service has just acquired a customer that knows something about strategy and tactics--the US Department of Defense. The US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) have paid $200,000 to outfit 14 bases around the continent with 17 Xbox Live gaming centers, as a way of giving young airmen in the region something to do in their downtime, according to the official US military publication Stars and Stripes. When off duty, they will be able to hone their military skills with such multiplayer games as Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.

The airmen will be able to play against those in other European bases or other Xbox Live subscribers around the globe. Commanders are also getting involved in the project, and are considering staging a command-wide deathmatch, according to Stars and Stripes.

The idea for the gaming centers emerged from focus groups conducted by the branch of the USAFE concerned with community activities. Bases received between $7,500 and $20,000 for the centers' furniture, equipment, and networking costs. Germany's Spangdahlem Air Base hosted the pilot program, and got its center in April. The Air Force said it chose the Xbox for its superior online gaming capabilities.

By Matthew Broersma, News.com [POSTED: 07/25/03 10:07 AM]

[xrp]

I don't know about anyone else, but I sure don't have a problem with this. This is a great pasttime for our brave men and women overseas. It keeps them on the bases more and away from the anti-American Euro-weenies. In addition, the $200,000 is being spent on a service that is supported by American networking professionals and software engineers. Win, win it sounds like to me!

[dennisw]

These are needed in Japan and Okinawa to keep our service men from getting into scandels with the local babes.

[nothingnew]

You might want to find out what Willie Green thinks. I mean, this might cost some peoples jobs (somehow).

FMCDH

[dennisw]

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/story/0,,t269-s2138176,00.html The idea for the gaming centres emerged from focus groups conducted by the branch of the USAFE concerned with community activities. Bases received between $7,500 and $20,000 for the centres' furniture, equipment and networking costs. Germany's Spangdahlem Air Base hosted the pilot programme, and got its centre in April.

The Air Force said it chose the Xbox for its superior online gaming capabilities. While Sony has introduced an Internet adapter for its PlayStation2 console and Nintendo launched online capabilities for its GameCube, Microsoft is putting its faith in a far more ambitious plan.

Instead of leaving it to game publishers to provide online options, Microsoft is handling all infrastructure needs for Xbox Live. The company has assembled four massive server farms to handle Xbox Live traffic, including a main data centre near company headquarters in Redmond, Washington that employs military-grade security measures.

Xbox owners pay $50 a year or $6 per month for the online service, which requires a high-speed DSL (digital subscriber line) or cable connection to the Internet. Xbox Live serves as a common portal for online games offered by publishers such as Sega and THQ Interactive.

The service launched last November.

[Tailback]

I agree, in addition it was probably paid for with a morale and welfare fund which is in part financed with Base Exchange profits. I'm sure there will be plenty of people that will criticize this, but this is nothing my current Air National Guard unit hasn't done for the last 5 years anyway. Everyone brings their laptops to deployments to network game, and our Command and Conquer tournaments are legendary.

[zarf]

So what's wrong with this?

[bd476]

That's cool - it's money well spent. Let's send them whatever will help.

[Bogey78O]

14 bases and 17 centers?

I take it 3 bases received 2 centers. And hw many consoles are in a center?

No complaints. Just curious if we're going to have these guys fighting over access.

Does this remind anyone of the SOCOM commercial?

[Brian S]

Well spent investment, IMHO!

[joanil]

I think it should be increased to $1,000,000 !

[Registered]

It's an abuse of taxpayer's dollars.

[xrp]

My original comment to the article started off as:

I don't know about anyone else, but I sure don't have a problem with this.

Clear enough?

[xrp]

Provide concrete illustrations to support your statement.

[Jumper]

Great news. Most Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs are funded from re-cycled monies to start with in the Military communities. Thanks to the Clinton initiatives, soldiers, sailors and airmen have less than ever before. Looks like our servicemen and women living in Europe will have small taste of home.

[bootyist-monk]

The US Military is also paying for game development, and has done so for a number of years. One of the better Xbox titles is called Full Spectrum Warrior (from Pandemic), which will be released as a consumer product in early '04.

[xrp]

Not to mention that the servicemen could use the XBox Live network for "free" telephone calls to loved ones living in the States. I don't know how much it costs to make a phone call from a base in Europe to a serviceman/woman's parents in the States, but hook ma and pa up with an Xbox and Xbox Live, shove a game disc in, log into Xbox Live and you can chat for hours!!! All while you frag your father! ;-)

[LasVegasMac]

I don't know about anyone else, but I sure don't have a problem with this.

Complete agreement.

A fairly recent TV commercial showed a bunch of friends playing an on-line, shoot-em up, in the burbs, type game.

They got their a$$ waxed by the "enemy".

Then it shows who their "on-line" opponent was.

Army troops sitting in a tent, who knows where.

Good commercial.

LVM

[InvisibleChurch]

if we're not going to give them a living wage then give them xbox

[Tree of Liberty]

Completely agree with you.

That being said, I'd love to play with these guys (and especially soldiers and marines if/when they get a similar setup) in Ghost Recon and Halo.

[Bogey78O]

"Who are these guys?"

Scene of a soldier congratulating another

"Like shooting fish in a barrel"