Podcast

PLA develops online game for training

Updated: 2011-06-29 10:30

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The People's Liberation Army (PLA) has developed its first online military game to improve combat skills and technological awareness.

The Glorious Mission sets the player as a soldier with the PLA ground force.

The first-person shooter game has three models - basic training, single missions and team combat. Players can opt for single combat or be part of a group of 32 players, divided into two groups, who take on and defeat opponents.

As a new recruit a player will have to go through basic training and then receive professional indoctrination and instruction.

On completion, their combat capability will be enhanced and they will enter the "exciting life of the military", according to an earlier report by the PLA Daily.

The game, described by the China Software Testing Center as the "first large local area network (LAN) military game that has full intellectual property rights in China", was co-developed by Nanjing Military Command and Wuxi Giant Network Technology Inc in Jiangsu province.

After 32 months of development and tests, the final version was released on June 20 with many Chinese experts praising it as "a breakthrough in military games and a pioneering work in the cyber-game industry".

A PLA publicity officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed on Tuesday that soldiers and officers had been involved in the development and testing of the game and their feedback significantly contributed to the final version.

"I think it is possible that the game will be made open online for Chinese military fans to download and play," the officer told China Daily.

Other countries, including the United States and Russia, have used video games in military training and have achieved "satisfactory results", an earlier report by Chinese Defense, a newspaper run by the PLA, said.

Questions:

1. What is the name of the game?

2. How many players can take part in a group?

3. When was the final version released?

Answers:

1. Glorious Mission.

2. 32.

3. June 20.

（中國日報網英語點津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.