The US military reports success with a modified version of the shooter game Unreal Tournament, Zo writes BBC News. University of Southern California scientist Hannes Vilhjalmsson adapted elements of the game so that solving situations through communication yields the most points. Culture-bound ‘body language’ can be defined for each area, in order to make clear to military personnel which way of drafting works best in a certain region and what the local meanings of gestures are. For example, soldiers learn that in certain Arab cultures sages are seen as aggressive. In addition, the game’s players learn Arabic expressions that apply to the modeled sitations. “In the West, we are cautious about body language in public. In the Arab culture it is important to show your openness’, explains Vilhjalmsson, who adds that restraint in Iraq is often interpreted as having something to hide, which can have a negative effect in tense situations. Conversely, people in the Middle East tend to approach each other closer than people are used to in the West, and it is important that military personnel do not automatically interpret this as threatening, according to Vilhjalmsson.
Warning: approach less aggressively or lose five points. And remove those sunglasses and silly garments.’