Ugh...my head hurts

BedlamX

Jr Hunter
OK...sorry for this, but time for me to rant a bit. This just seems like a crowd that may enjoy it.

My son plays XBOX 360...a LOT. He mainly plays some Modern Warfare game (sorry...I just bought it, don't know exactly what it is called)...a LOT. And I get to hear his comments as well as those of the guys/gals he plays with...a LOT. So, to help keep what little sanity I have left intact, I offer some observations and comments on teenagers, video games, and real world combat tactics/weapons from my perspective (I could be wrong, but I think 12 years Army (and the last few as an instructor) gives me some small idea of "real world" military stuff).

1. There is no "reset" button in real combat. You die...game over...forever.

2. Weapons that are "the best" in games are typically **** in real world combat. A lever-action, sawwed-off shotgun will NOT kill anyone at extreme ranges. I don't care how good a shot you think you are. Also, there is no "best" weapon. It all depends on the situation. So stop asking me that.

3. Just because you have an "achievement" saying you are a "weapons expert" does not make it so outside the game. Real weapons do not do "rating 5" damage. They just blow holes in you. That is, if you can hit anything you little brat.

4. High caliber and full auto do NOT mix well. I don't care if you did it in the game or saw it in a movie, you are not going to shoot an FAL on full auto and get a good and accurate grouping. You're gonna get a sore shoulder. And a bunch of wasted rounds.

5. C4 (composition 4) is not the end all, be all of explosives. It does not create a fireball and blow up everything in the vicinity when detonated. It blows hotter and with less explosive power than military grade TNT. I do not care what you saw in Rambo or any of those horrible made for SciFy TV movies. Same goes for grenades. Get over it.

6. The more you claim to be a "weapons expert", the more foolish you tend to look to those who actually KNOW about the subject. A nice rule of thumb: If you have never touched a real weapon, do not claim expertise with it. Video games, no matter how "real" they look, lie to you.

7. Sitting in a concealed area and taking out opponents with a sniper rifle is called "sniping"...not "camping". It is proper use of a sniper. If you wish to claim to be all-knowing in the ways of military tactics, at least get the terms straight and stop whining when your tactics suck. On the same note, an LMG (Light Machine Gun) is NOT a sniper rifle. Nor is an AK47. I don't care that you can hit a fly's butt at 1000 yards in the game with one. Just not the way it is in real life.

8. Rocket launchers and RPGs (Rocket-Propelled Grenades) are wonderful anti vehicle/structure support weapons. They are not, however, primary assault weapons. One shot, maybe two...then run for the hills if that is your primary weapon. By the way, most modern rocket launchers are single shot. An AT4 is heavy, cumbersome, and has one shot. If you plan on shooting a bunch, start working out to carry all those tubes.

9. Flame-throwers, while very cool-looking, make horrible weapons against armed opponents. Sure, you can shoot the burning fluid on an old tank or vehicle and it will run into the windows and crevases to cause all sorts of havok...if you can get close enough before they shoot your tank and you become a screaming bonfire.

10. If your opponent has a high power rifle, hiding behind the couch will not help much. Unless the couch is kevlar lined and bullet proof. Then you better hope they don't have the flame thrower from number 9. Or a rocket launcher. But, then again, I don't remember seeing the Kevlar line last time I was at Nebraska Furniture Mart looking for living room furniture.


OK...end of rant. But, hey...feel free to add your own observations. I'm sure there are tons I missed or have not yet had to deal with (I left out the whole Ninja are not bullet proof lines...cuz I've only heard one of my son's friends claim "Ninja Invulnerability" before:rolleyes). These are just some of the silly things I have found myself explaining over the last few months and was starting to drive me nuts.
 
Well, being the Army guy for 6 years...you're pretty spot on, except for one thing.

The M240B, which happens to be in the game, CAN be used as a Sniper system. Just FYI, Tripod Mounted, the M240B has a Max Range of 1100m, which the M2 50.cal machine gun has a Max range of 1800 meters. A single shot from the NATO 7.62mm M240B is just as effective as an M14, AR10, M24 sniper system.

Other than that, you are right, but they are kids. Not soldiers...its fun to them to play games. In Basic, I was called Halo, because I was a big Star Wars nerd and played video games. The kid that liked to talked the most junk to me, used to say "you won't respawn in real life, HALO" The kid always tried to make it apparent that I didn't realize you really do "cease to exist" if you become mortally wounded in combat. Which, I've survived a combat tour, and I'm still alive today, because its very obvious that my training made me smart and has kept me alive in my Army service...but you're son really doesn't think he is a weapons expert, except in the game, and its just that man. A game. You're son I'm sure knows the difference...
 
lol...showing my age again. No such thing as the M240B when I was in. We still had the M60. It had the range and accuracy...but no optics (other than the night vision scope) and no select fire (full auto only). Definitely not what I would call a "sniper" or even a "rifle".

I also have no idea what he was using. He just kept calling it the "LMG".

By the way...you didn't add any other fun quips to the list. Surely you have a few..."Halo" ;D
 
Well doesn't really pertain to video games...

Just everyone these days thinks by watchin a little UFC it makes you a full on Black Belted Mixed Martial Artist. And sorry to those like this here, but when I see a guy who looks like he hasn't worked out in decades is walking around sporting a TAPOUT or MMA shirt, it makes me want to go and choke them out to know what the real meaning of TapOut is.

For me, an Infantryman, Combat is our bread and butter. So I've been through numerous hours of Combatives and Jiu Jitsu and really DO know the in's and outs of Brazillian. Thats my biggest issue lol
 
Having served as an EOD tech as well as Mine Awareness instructor i've been in similar situations when people/newly drafted appear to believe that the things they see in movies and games actually apply to real life. I had one guy honestly believe that he could out-run shrapnel... (!!) (I guess he must have watched that Owen Willson movie, Behind Enemy Lines, toooo many times)

Then there is always at least 1 in a group which still believes that mines go "click" before they detonate. :rolleyes
 
My son is 18. He actually "gets it" when it comes to this stuff. He's seen my videos of the demo range and even sit through one of the last classes I gave on booby traps and how to avoid them. It's just his buddies that seem out of the loop on the whole reality thing.
 
unfortunately, no one really sets these kids down to watch a little CNN or The Military Channel to see what its really like. All they know is what they see on film and games.
 
I'm not a military man... but you guys offer some food for thought here.

I don't think video games/ TV in general "rot your brains" but they sometimes give kids/ people false impressions.

I can see how annoying it is when players speak like they are experts just because they can play a game... its like people who think they are musicians because they play Guitar Hero. (don't get me wrong, I love GH... but I also played guitar too and they are not the same)
 
The reason I asked the age is that my 15 year old is home schooled and now that all his work is done he plays hours and hours of COD. However, he has expanded the gaming experience and gotten creative. He has self taught himself how to capture the game play video on the computer, edit the videos and has been making parody youtube videos. I don't mind the play because he is flexing his creative muscles along with it. As for how real or not the game is, is irrelivant. If you can sit down with any child and have a conversation about the "real life" then they should be able to distinguish the differences and reality of the world arround them......
 
I think the biggest thing you need to look out for is "Hey, this stuff in MW2 is so cool, I GOTTA join the Army because of this". That's when the red flag comes up my friend. Now being an Infantryman, I can safely say that games like Counter-Strike and Battlefield were HUGE reasons why a lot of the guys I went to basic with soley joined up just to emulate the "high-speed" stuff they saw in games. With the new guys we get at our company, you can tell that Modern Warfare was their recruiting tool, not an actual recruiter. They assume they'll be able to breeze through Ranger training, move onto Q-course and make it to CAG (Errmm....Delta Force, as Hollywood has it) with ease, and use all the crazy "cool guy" weapons and gadgets. The sad truth is, those that take this route BECAUSE of the movies/video games they interact with end up either quitting in Basic, immediately quitting the Hooah schools, or just end up plain miserable. Once they realize that in order to get into the "cool guy" units they have to do 20 mile infil-rucks, 30 day field problems, spend copious amounts of time away from their girlfriend/family, that notion of being Sam Fisher goes out the window. If you're not joining the military to serve your country or produce a better life for your family, you most likely will have a craptastic time slugging away at 3,4,6 long years of a job you hate.

Kinda went off on a tangent there, but bottom line is: As long as your son realizes that what he's doing is virtually re-enacting actions that leave most men scared to death and claim the lives of those who decided to stand up and pay the ultimate sacrifice, then there's no issue. Heck, I play Modern Warfare and countless other military games all the time, because the content is interesting, and it's exciting.

Your son is going to be just fine. Worry when he gets done playing a match of Modern Warfare, comes up to you, and starts saying "I REALLY want to be Special Forces, and jump out of helicopters, and use cool night vision goggles, and rapell down a building, and....." :lol:
 
Like I said, I don't really worry about my boy. He's heard me babble about the "real world" too much to think the games are a true version of what happens in the real Army (or Marines, Air Force, Navy, whatever).

This was more of joke to get stuff off my chest after hearing so many comments about how good someone is or that they know "all about munitions and weapon"...just because they have a great score on a video game.
 
I'm not a military man... but you guys offer some food for thought here.

I don't think video games/ TV in general "rot your brains" but they sometimes give kids/ people false impressions.

I can see how annoying it is when players speak like they are experts just because they can play a game... its like people who think they are musicians because they play Guitar Hero. (don't get me wrong, I love GH... but I also played guitar too and they are not the same)
Oh man, it works the other way around, too. So many of my friends assume that I can play Guitar Hero or Rock Band just because I play guitar and drums in real life. I couldn't play Rock Band drums out of a wet paper bag.
 
I was just a janitor in the ARMY who went to Africa on vacation alot. I would chime in, but I've never held a gun. They're scary. And M249 and 240's are the most accurate gun from what I've heard, precision weapons, like the Mark 19. Tons of guys making 1100m shots on full auto, happens all the time. I saw it on CNN.

I'm sorry, but coming from an ex sniper/ FO...... On WHAT planet has the 240B EVER been as accurate as a sniper with an M24, L96, or model 700? They dont even come close to PSG1's or SR25's (which I own and had specially built to chamber .223 shorts moving at 3480 fps). "Supposed to's" dont work in real life. It's part of Murphy's Law's of Combat. I had a bike that was supposed to do 210... and it might would have, on a clear day, with no wind, going down the side of the Swiss Alps on the perfectly smooth new road they just constructed with no turns, that went all the way to Care-a-lot. Just sayin....
 
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