Ties between the games industry and the military have been growing stronger in recent years.

In this BBC article, games reporter Steffan Powell explores the deepening affinity between personnel and players, and how the virtual worlds so synonymous with video games can usher in a new approach to collective training, operational planning and wargaming.

“Where video gaming technology has become incredibly powerful and useful is the ability to fundamentally recreate all the complexity of the real world in a virtual one,” says Joe Robinson, CEO Improbable Defence.

“Threats can come from anywhere today. It’s incredibly difficult to understand how they’re going to evolve and the impact on the battlefield. It’s very difficult to begin to plan and train for these problems.”

“We enable decision-makers to try out ideas, test strategies and new equipment, and train troops to deal with these complex ever-changing environments. Very quickly it can help you understand how things impact each other and what can be learned.”

Catch the full story on how the technologies developed for entertainment are helping governments and defence organisations plan and prepare to meet a wide range of real-world security challenges, from cyber attacks to grey zone conflict.