Expand / Collapse search
☰
Flood Warning
from SAT 5:17 AM MST until SAT 2:00 PM MST, Maricopa County
4
Flood Warning
from SAT 2:57 AM MST until SAT 12:15 PM MST, Gila County
Flood Watch
from SUN 12:00 AM MDT until MON 5:00 AM MST, Chinle Valley, Chuska Mountains and Defiance Plateau, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas South of Hwy 264, Black Mesa Area, Northeast Plateaus and Mesas Hwy 264 Northward
Flood Watch
from SAT 11:00 PM MST until MON 5:00 AM MST, Northwest Plateau, Eastern Cochise County below 5000 ft including Douglas/Wilcox, Upper Gila River and Aravaipa Valleys including Clifton/Safford, Southeast Pinal County including Kearny/Mammoth/Oracle, Western Pima County including Ajo/Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Dragoon/Mule/Huachuca and Santa Rita Mountains including Bisbee/Canelo Hills/Madera Canyon, Tucson Metro Area including Tucson/Green Valley/Marana/Vail, Tohono O'odham Nation including Sells, Baboquivari Mountains including Kitt Peak, Upper San Pedro River Valley including Sierra Vista/Benson, Chiricahua Mountains including Chiricahua National Monument, Galiuro and Pinaleno Mountains including Mount Graham, Santa Catalina and Rincon Mountains including Mount Lemmon/Summerhaven, White Mountains of Graham and Greenlee Counties including Hannagan Meadow, South Central Pinal County including Eloy/Picacho Peak State Park, Upper Santa Cruz River and Altar Valleys including Nogales, Yavapai County Mountains, Little Colorado River Valley in Navajo County, Western Mogollon Rim, Coconino Plateau, Yavapai County Valleys and Basins, Oak Creek and Sycamore Canyons, Grand Canyon Country, Little Colorado River Valley in Coconino County, Marble and Glen Canyons, Northern Gila County, White Mountains, Kaibab Plateau, Eastern Mogollon Rim, Little Colorado River Valley in Apache County, North Phoenix/Glendale, Aguila Valley, Mazatzal Mountains, Tonopah Desert, Gila Bend, San Carlos, East Valley, Northwest Pinal County, Northwest Valley, Southeast Valley/Queen Creek, Globe/Miami, Deer Valley, Fountain Hills/East Mesa, Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, Buckeye/Avondale, Tonto Basin, Rio Verde/Salt River, South Mountain/Ahwatukee, Dripping Springs, Southeast Gila County, Pinal/Superstition Mountains, Scottsdale/Paradise Valley, New River Mesa, Sonoran Desert Natl Monument, West Pinal County, Superior, Cave Creek/New River, Central Phoenix

Modified Call of Duty game could improve Marine training, researchers say

By
FOX Local
Military
Published May 29, 2026 10:17 AM MST
Published May 29, 2026 10:17 AM MST
article

FILE - A man plays "Call of Duty Modern Warfare III" video game during Milan Games Week 2023 at Rho Fieramilano on Nov. 24, 2023 in Milan, Italy.  (Photo by Emanuele Cremaschi/Getty Images)

The Brief

    • Researchers modified Call of Duty 4 to build a leadership training module for the Marine Corps.
    • The program uses 14 custom scenarios to sharpen real-time decision-making and critical thinking skills.
    • The Office of Naval Research funded the project to create affordable, scalable, and engaging military training.

Researchers are testing out a program that uses a 19-year-old video game to help train Marines. 

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Dig deeper:

Virginia Tech and the University of Memphis recently deployed a program that uses a modified version of the 2007 game Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The program is being used to engage students at the Marine Corps University in Quantico in "tailored scenarios that allow them to hone skills," according to a Virginia Tech news release.

What they're saying:

"There will be a direct line from this investment into [the real world]," said Brig. Gen. Matthew Tracy, commanding general of Marine Corps Education Command and president of Marine Corps University. "The actual skills translate directly into making good decisions under high stress."

Big picture view:

Researchers aim to help students refine their leadership, critical thinking, decision-making and communication skills.

The modified game also collects data that can be analyzed to enhance after-action reviews.

"The military considers after-action review one of the most important parts of training," Louis Hickman, assistant professor of industrial-organizational psychology at Virginia Tech and principal investigator of the project, said. "After you’ve gone through a training simulation, you sit down as a group, you discuss what happened, what was supposed to happen, what went well, what didn’t, and what you will do differently next time."

Researchers are also able to analyze player positions, orientations of the enemy and shots fired. 

What's next:

There are plans to install the project software at the Marine Corps base in Tentynin Palms, California. 

The Source: Information for this article was taken from a news release shared on the Virginia Tech website on May 18, 2026. This story was reported from San Jose. 

MilitaryTechnologyEntertainmentU.S.News