A news report indicates that the United States military is to being using Second Life as a platform for assimilating veterans back into society. The sim(s) will “provide camaraderie, support and resources for returning troops to help them re-assimilate into civilian life”.
“Second Life is unique because it allows users to build things and own the things they build,” said Jacquelyn Morie of the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies. “It has a huge range; whatever people can imagine and dream, they can build there. You’re represented by a 3-D avatar, so you can represent yourself however you feel is appropriate for who you are.”
The project incorporates games, virtual world expertise and virtual human intelligence. It is populated with intelligence-driven virtual characters that can provide support to veterans, the Pentagon said.
Wait, what?
Okay – I love Second Life and all that, but really? Is this the best that can be offered to guys who put their lives on the line to protect us? A virtual sim where they can pick up a few notecards and chat to “intelligence-driven virtual characters”?
I can’t get my head around such piss poor treatment of the very guys who leave their whole lives behind to be shipped out to a foreign place, and have to live in constant state of heightened senses to protect themselves and fellow troops. Only then to return, and be given a web address where they can “get help” to reassimilate via a virtual world.
A virtual world which is very addictive to numerous people, to the point they become secluded from society, no less.
Perhaps I’ve just missed a beat, but this seems a cheap cop-out, when so much more could, and should, be done for the veterans of war.
Leondra on August 4, 2009
Prad,
This is just a ONE tool. I am the mother of a son in Special Forces Delta. My husband is a neuropsychologist with the VA, he works with spinal cord and head injuries, so I am close to this issue. Our people in the military want this option. It is not the only one they have. It is hard to make people seek treatment, this has been a recognized problem since the Vietnam Era. I have not seen the information you are referring to, but there some good reporting at PBSs’ Digital Nation. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/
Most of us google to start looking at where to find answers when we are trying to solve a problem or find answers. At least there is something out there that is a bit more interactive than Web MD.
The military is very active in Second Life for many other reasons, which may be far more alarming and debatable. My son was asked to give up MySpace, etc., but NOT SL, where he has been a builder from almost the beginning. I can only imagine some of the applications that are being explored.
respectfully,
Leondra
Prad Prathivi on August 4, 2009
Thanks for your comment, Leondra!
Firstly, I want to be clear that I don’t refer to PTSD, or other health related issues – just the assimilation back into civilian life. I know virtual recreation can have benefits to PTSD, and that should definately be explored more.
As far as assimilating back into civilisation though, I don’t think spending days in a virtual world, asking questions to a robot and reading notecards/boards is the best method, which is what this article seems to imply.
It simply just doesn’t sound like it’s doing enough to me.
chestnut on August 4, 2009
I found it improbable, knowing actual military families who have lived through deployments, that SL is the ONLY tool offered. So rather than relying on “the news report” you cite I decided to look for the actual source.
Here is the link to the article for those who may be interested. http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=55349
This work is being conducted by Jacquelyn Morie of the University of Southern California’s Institute for Creative Technologies and is essentially a research project.
“Much of what the institute does in its work is to merge cutting-edge technology with social and psychological study. The institute’s artificial intelligence “agents” are being developed for use in the Army as coaches or teachers in a classroom setting, Morie said, as well as in the Second Life environment.
“If we can supplement [simulation or real-life exercises] with continued training within a virtual space, we’re offering something of a lot more value,” Morie said.
In the end, the institute’s goal in Second Life is to create an environment for veterans to network and find information and assistance when dealing with the stresses of returning from deployment, she said.”
This point from the article makes it seem much less sinister, no? “You can think of it as the VFW hall of the 21st century,” Morie explained. “Most veterans, when they come back, are not collocated into neighborhoods the way people were in World War II. So this gives people a chance to be together, even if they’re widely dispersed.”
This project is hardly a substitute for RL support the US military gives to returning veterans.
Nice try Prad. I hope this post gets you a lot of hits.
Emerald Wynn on August 4, 2009
I agree with you, Prad. But then again I’m in the current conservative minority in our country and I also have a passionate love/hate relationship with SL. I’m a lazy slacker at the moment and SL has enabled me to be even more antisocial in the real world than I normally would be. I’m wary of this idea, even from a pure networking aspect, which is how the original article should have been relayed by UPI.
Even as far as networking goes, you would think FACEBOOK and similar sites would be more effective. I can only speak from personal experience and say that Facebook more than anything has pulled me back from my self-imposed exile during the past year, because there I talk to real faces about real places, people, events and things. I make real plans and leave the house to carry them out. And despite what some people may say, YES, reality is important!
Our heroic veterans deserve monetary and emotional support as well as open doors to useful REAL resources. While Second Life may very well provide an effective networking tool for them, it’s not a stable environment. The whole point of the place is to fabricate a reality. We don’t really know who anyone is here. People lie. They come and go at the drop of a dime. They up and vanish without a word. Ugh, I would strongly advise anyone dealing with any type of inner turmoil to stay the hell away from the place.
So yeah, to your previous commenters’ points, I do hope we’re strengthening ALL of our veteran support systems. Because my God, if anything, I would think our veterans need HUMAN CONTACT and lots of it upon returning home.
I’d love some feedback on this topic from people in the military. Maybe I’m too biased.
Twitted by fejzo on August 4, 2009
[...] This post was Twitted by fejzo [...]
Ann Otoole on August 4, 2009
As long as civilians percieve you as a trained killer they are not going to welcome you back. The problem resides equally on both sides of the fence.
However SL can be a great tool for learning how to function in a social environment. Doesn’t matter if you were in the military or not. If you mess up then start over and don’t do that bad thing again. Eventually you will learn what is acceptable behavior and what is not.
This is where SL shines.
Except LL is proceeding on a trajectory that steadily decreases the number of avatars that can function in a single region so the overall value of SL degrades on the same trajectory.
Leondra on August 4, 2009
Responding at 5 AM o’dark does not always produce the clarity I intended, nor do I have the time to read the sources with that 1st cup of coffee. It is just an informational site. Sometimes people need that “distance” (from face to face contact) to learn to define their questions.
I found more information here http://www.isria.com/pages/3_August_2009_154.php
(same press release as Chestnut’s)
If you search SL, you will find that the VA already has a site.
I am just glad that if a vet has an inkling while in SL to connect, there’s a place, and connections to groups and information will follow.
Lizzie Lexington on August 5, 2009
Thanks letting us know about this service being offered now by the military. It was informative for sure. I also agree with the other commentators that this is more than likely one of many tools being offered to the veterans. I actually made reference to a couple research studies being conducted in my blog regarding mental health issues and second life. More than likely this program is targeting vets with specific issues or needs which may involve problems with assimilating back into daily living. Second Life if used properly have helped others with such issues as social anxiety and agoraphobia. I am glad to see our virtual world being used in this manner for the troops.