Virtual marketplace: Defense Dept. lacks clearinghouse for military videogames, say analysts.

• Author: Jean, Grace
• Position: WARGAMES

As the military begins to rely more on the so-called "serious" games to ready its fighting forces, the vendors selling the high-tech virtual trainers are voicing frustration with the Defense Department's cumbersome acquisition process.

The government's contracting cycle is so resource-intensive and lengthy that small game developers really have a hard time with it, especially if they don't understand the acquisition process, said Brian Williams, research staff member at the Institute for Defense Analyses, which conducted a study for the Pentagon on the serious game market.

"This is where game developers butt heads with the Defense Department," he added.

Those selling guns, tanks, aircraft and other assorted nuts and bolts to the Pentagon have learned to live with the Pentagon's bureaucratic ways. But video game developers, who may be used to the fast-paced consumer market, are encountering a classic case of culture clash, Williams suggested.

Get used to it, countered Roger Smith, chief scientist and chief technical officer at the Army's program executive office for simulation, training and instrumentation. It's the gaming industry that has to adapt to work with the government, he said.

"The military has a certain way of spending money," he said. It goes out and purchases a tank that will last for 20, 40, even 50 years. The same thing happens in training and simulations. When the government invests in simulations and trainers, it will maintain those technologies for 10 or 20 years.

"If we had built those simulators today, they would be filled with game technology. But we're not going to throw away hundreds of millions of dollars because we can see a better way to do it now," he said.

One solution that may help bridge the culture gap is an organized marketplace. The lack of a centralized procurement organization for gaming technology creates frustration among vendors, experts argue, and makes it more difficult for the Defense Department to grasp the latest technology at the best price.

"We don't have an organized marketplace where buyers can meet sellers, where people can exchange information, where project managers can learn about development companies, where development companies can figure out what projects are out to be had," said Bob Bates, an independent game developer.

Nevertheless, more than 100 serious games have resulted from grass roots efforts by game developers, who have sought out Pentagon projects and carved their own paths...