Strange

Wanted: Computer Games Expert to Help Develop Nuclear Weapons

by Samir Joshi | July 30, 2009 at 08:57 am

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Now this is something that gamers would never imagine could happen. What the gamers consider a wonderful means of entertainment and relieving stress could become their means of getting a job to help develop nuclear weapons.

Yes, that is as bizzare as it sounds. But its true that UK's Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) requires applicants to have experience of games such as Crysis, in which US troops take on North Korea.

Unbelievable, Believe it!

The government's Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) at Aldermaston in Berkshire is advertising for a "virtual reality specialist" to use "serious gaming" to help train nuclear weapons scientists. One of the qualifications required is experience of computer games with good graphics like Crysis, the job advert says.

Crysis, marketed by the California-based company Electronic Arts, is a "first person shooter" game in which players become part of an elite group of US soldiers on a mission to an island in the South China Sea. They rapidly become embroiled in a bloody battle with North Koreans, then monsters from outer space.

Players have access to a daunting arsenal of deadly high-tech weapons, and wear a futuristic "nano suit" to make them more lethal. In the latest version, Crysis Warhead, they help Sergeant "Psycho" Sykes, find "unique and all-new environments they can explore and blow up", according to a blurb for the game.

However, computer gaming experts question the wisdom of seeking out war games enthusiasts for a nuclear bomb factory. Mathias Fuchs, the leader of a creative games programme at the University of Salford near Manchester, warns that AWE may get more than it bargained for.

An AWE spokesman insisted that it had no interest in the content of Crysis. "We are simply interested in the expertise behind the software tool used to create it," he said. "This type of software has applications for creating virtual reality environments which can be used for safety and incident response training."