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Show Aggielite Monday, April 21, 2008 Page 7 Soldiers: U.S. soldiers playing war video games to relax after war [I continued from page 6 of the game were set in historical situations into squares showing what each player is seePalms, Calif., for deployment. He also has a subtle way to drive the Army brand and such as World War II. ing and shooting at, for 10 minutes or 100 "Halo 3." potentially drive their recruiting efforts," REALISTIC TOUCH points. The winner gets to stay for the next Though the Marines carry M-16s, M-203 jarrard said in a recent e-mail interview. For the most part, the game gets a thumbsgame as losers swap out consoles with guys grenade launchers and SAW machine guns in It may seem odd that Marines and soldiers up for realism, such as the amount of time it waiting to play. real life, they can choose other weapons when in Iraq would spend their precious free time takes to reload weapons - though the Marines "Call to Action 4" players in 4th Platoon playing "Call to Action 4." playing a game simulating what they've just scoff at the relatively minor wounds sustained have put their own twist on the game. The weapons in "Call to Action 4" are "all spent all day or night doing for real. from shotgun blasts. "We have a rule that if you're running or real, but it's stuff we don't have access to," said But it's actually not unusual considering "Most players think it's realistic, but I shooting at someone and you see a waterIzaguirre, of Schaumburg, 111. that the demographics of video game playthink because we're in the military we tend melon, you have to stop and stab it," said Cpl. "What we have is good for what we need ers - whether they're in uniform or civilians to nitpick," said Cpl. Matthew Mooi, 23, of Brett Maddix, 30, a Cook County sheriff's (in actual combat), but in "Call to Action* - skew toward young males. Steger, III. deputy in Chicago. "It's one of those stupid you've got M-21 sniper rifles, the M-82 Al Plus the twentysomething guys in 4th things we do." "We have nothing but time here, so it's sniper rifles and the P-90, a close-quarters Platoon grew up with video games, so there's something we do notice. Besides missions, Fourth Platoon Marines like "Call to not much difference playing in their basement weapon," he said. this is what we do." Action 4" because it's modern warfare and The Marines take turns competing against with their high school buddies or playing in mimics their training. Previous incarnations one another, four at a time, with the TV split barracks in the Sunni Triangle with fellow Marines. TIME TO COMPETE "It's a competitive thing, and with young men at that age, there's a lot of testosterone," said Adam Sessler, co-host of "X-Play" on the G4 channel, a television show about video games. "It's all the action without the risk. You can't discount that," Sessler said in a recent phone interview. "You can definitely behave with more whimsy on a virtual battlefield than anyone in their right mind would on an actual battlefield." At a command outpost near the community of Sadiqiyah, members of Fox Company's 2nd Platoon play "Guitar Hero," "Tiger Woods Golf," "Madden '07" and fantasy games. Lance Cpl. Josh Buege, 20, has "Red Alert," "Sims," "Wolfenstein" and "Rainbox Six" on his new Acer laptop, which he keeps in a hard plastic case so it doesn't get wrecked by the dust and heat and other calamities that can fell electronics in a war zone. "It's just a way to pass the time to keep things interesting. You can only watch so many movies," said Buege, a sophomore majoring in history at Marquette University in Milwaukee. Cpl. Casey Callahan, 22, a malf security guard, brought a Gameboy Advance on his first deployment to Iraq in 2004 and got a PSP shortly before returning in January. His new PSP includes "Star Wars Battlefront," "Final Fantasy" 1 and 2, "Socom" and "Atari Classics." He's bummed he's in Iraq and will miss the releases back home of the new "Grand Theft Auto," "Devil May Cry" and "Highlander" games. Comparing video games to his job as a Humvee gunner, Callahan noted, "It's a lot easier in the video games because you're not wearing 100 pounds of gear, and you can always restart." For his fellow 4th Platoon Marines, Izaguirre shipped his Xbox 360 and television to their base in this community between Fallujah and Ramadi. He bought "Call to L A N C E CPL. T R I S T A N V A N SCOY, left, watches as Cpl. Matthew Mooi, Cpl. Brett Maddix, Lance Cpl. Justin Humpich and Cpl. Fernando Izaguirre, all Action 4" last November as soon as it was released, while he was training in Twentynine members of Fox Company's 4th Platoon, play "Call For Action 4." MEG JONES Milwaukee Journal Sentinel photo The College of Science Honors Top Students & Faculty Awards Program & Reception April 23, 2008 3:30 -5:30 pm Eccles Conference Center Auditorium, ECC 216 Reception following in ECC 205-207 Fall 2007 Valedictorian: Amber Wilk, Mathematics & Statistics Spring 2008 Valedictorian: Ryan Campbell, Chemistry Scholar of the Year: Ashley Wilkinson, Biology Undergraduate Student Researcher of the Year: Arthur Mahoney, Computer Science Graduate Student Researcher MS: Amanda Cangelosi, Mathematics & Statistics Graduate Student Researcher PhD: Dmitry Zubarev, Chemistry/Biochemistry Graduate Student Teacher of the Year: Nicole Davidson, Biology College of Science Undergraduate Research Mentor of the YeanAlvan Hengge, Chem/Biochem College of Science Researcher of the Year: James Powell, Mathematics & Statistics College of Science Teacher of the Year: Keith Mott, Biology College of Science Advisor of the Year: David Peak, Physics neckLwe 3ift fret Naked Lady forty free 1/2 OFF Kevfve V . i i i HI»c sPR i s A i (i n or Students with Student ID Tuesdays lenMinnicK $5 off Haircuts ,- ; Thursdays $5 off Pedicures & Deep Conditioning SkofKo $12 Information compiled by Brittny Goodsell Jones Photo by Cameron Peterson Saturdays $10offColor $15 Eyebrow OR Eyelash Tint $25 Eyebrow AND Eyelash Tint 538 S Main St, Logan 435.753.9492 |