Chief Learning Officer Magazine is running an article by Lindsay Edmonds Wickman which features Outside the Wire, a VEILS® developed last year to help train the US Army’s Forward Support Company:

Imagine being in a hostile foreign country commanding a unit of fresh-faced soldiers. You want to be prepared, you want to make good decisions and you want to be a leader.

But how can you truly prepare someone for this role? One possible answer is simulations, such as Outside the Wire, a WILL Interactive Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulation (VEILS®), a cross between a feature film and a computer game that immerses individuals into potentially real situations and circumstances.

“Just the opening scene of Outside the Wire, where you have people who are being shot and killed [is] enough to awaken lieutenants, who [will] now understand the impact of their decisions — that they’re responsible for lives under their leadership,” said Gayle Olszyk, deputy to the commander for training at the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and Schools.
“What choices you make are going to impact a lot of other people. That’s a reality that is very difficult to present to an officer in a written scenario. This is the reality of what you’re going to be facing when you get to Iraq.”

Read the full article here.

Potomac, Md. – May 27, 2008 – WILL Interactive has been awarded three Communicator Awards of Distinction by the International Academy of the Visual Arts. WILL Interactive’s programs The Barda Bridge and A Day in the Bam both won under the category of Best Interactive Media Training, while The Barda Bridge also won for Best Online Video Training. The Communicator Awards of Distinction are presented for projects that exceed industry standards in quality and achievement.

The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program honoring creative excellence for communications professionals. Founded over a decade ago, The Communicator Awards received over 9,000 entries from companies and agencies of all sizes, making it one of the largest awards of its kind in the world.

WILL Interactive uses a patented form of digital game-based learning technology called Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulations (VEILS®). This proprietary system of learning combines education and entertainment through a unique and captivating blend of technology, art, science, psychology, learning theory and game theory. WILL Interactive’s programs are often called a cross between a feature film and a video game because they allow users to play as the lead characters in live action, full-screen, full-motion, research-based movies that reflect real-life decisions and consequences in the safety of cyberspace.

“We are honored to have two of our programs recognized by the International Academy of the Visual Arts with Awards of Distinction,” WILL Interactive CEO and Co-Founder Sharon Sloane said. “We are very gratified to be recognized for this work and look forward to developing more programs to help men and women in the field.”

Working with the Defense Acquisition University (DAU), WILL Interactive developed The Barda Bridge to introduce Department of Defense Contingency Contracting Officers (CCO) to the unique challenges of conducting contracting operations in a true contingency environment. The Barda Bridge is a part of the Defense Acquisition University’s recent push to institute cutting edge training and simulation; initiatives which lead to increased productivity, career management, and deliver results in a timely and affordable manner.

“These awards underscore the hard work that DAU, WILL Interactive, and the Contingency Contracting Officers have done in creating this invaluable simulation,” said Joel Brown. “The awards’ true recipients are the Contingency Contracting Officers who put themselves in harm’s way so that many others could reap the benefits of their knowledge, experience, and dedication.”

A Day in the Bam was developed for the US Army Armor Center’s Maneuver Advanced NCO Course. The simulation follows standard Interactive Multimedia Instruction lessons and helps to assess students’ abilities to apply courseware content in real-world situations.

“This highly immersive training program is playing a critical role in helping trainers mold truly multi-skilled Armor and Infantry Noncommissioned Officers,” said Wanda Majors, Chief, Training Programs Branch, Training Development Division, Directorate of Training, Doctrine and Combat Development at the U.S. Army Armor Center and Schools. “Due to consistently positive feedback from course instructors and active duty students during validation, ‘A Day in the Bam’ is a part of the active duty curriculum as individual self-paced instruction and as a classroom tool to spark and support discussion.”

–

About The Communicator Awards
The Communicator Awards are judged and overseen by the International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA), a 200+ member organization of leading professionals from various disciplines of the visual arts dedicated to embracing progress and the evolving nature of traditional and interactive media. Current IAVA membership represents a “Who’s Who” of acclaimed media, advertising, and marketing firms including: Condè Nast, Coach, Disney, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Estee Lauder, Fry Hammond Barr, HBO, Monster.com, MTV, Polo Ralph Lauren, Sotheby’s Institute of Art, Victoria’s Secret, Wired, Yahoo!, and many others. See www.iavisarts.org for more information.

Potomac, Md. – May 22, 2008 – Outside the Wire, a Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulation (VEILS®) developed by WILL Interactive, Inc., received the award for ‘Best Workforce Training Solution’ in the 23rd Annual CODiE Awards Competition. The CODiE Awards, the premier honor in the software and information industry, recognize and showcase programs and achievements from the past year. Outside the Wire was selected as a winner from more than 1,100 nominations submitted by 600 companies.

“We are honored to have Outside the Wire recognized by the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) as the ‘Best Workforce Training Solution’ of 2008,” WILL Interactive CEO and Co-Founder Sharon Sloane said. “It is always a privilege to partner with the United States Military and we are very gratified to be recognized for this work.”

“The 2008 CODiE Awards recognize those companies providing the best new technology products and services across a broad array of industries,” SIIA President Ken Wasch said. “The awards and their winners are a testament to the power of technology to deliver innovative solutions to American businesses and consumers. SIIA congratulates all of the CODiE Award winners and nominees, whose innovation is essential for continuing America’s leadership in the global knowledge economy.”

WILL Interactive uses a patented form of digital game-based learning technology called Virtual Experience Immersive Learning Simulations (VEILS®). This proprietary system of learning combines education and entertainment through a unique and captivating blend of technology, art, science, psychology, learning theory and game theory.

Created using lessons learned by soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Outside the Wire gives Army officers a chance to “play it out before they live it out”, thereby improving leadership skills and performance. The fate of the player and his/her troops hinges on every decision made while using the simulation. Outside the Wire is in use with thousands of officers annually and is currently being integrated into the curriculum of The US Military Academy at West Point.

“It is an outstanding tool to help junior officers practice making difficult decisions that often have life and death consequences,” said Gayle Olszyk, deputy to the commander for training at the U.S. Army Ordnance Center and Schools.

WILL Interactive has worked with the United States Military since 1998, and in that time has developed over 15 military simulations. These include Gator Six, a Battery Command simulation for the U.S. Army Field Artillery School, based on actual events in Iraq, and Saving Sergeant Pabletti, which addresses sexual harassment, ethics, and cross cultural communication. Last year, WILL Interactive produced a library of six military VEILS® known as “The Class of 2007”.

WILL Interactive has been named a CODiE Award Finalist five times in the past four years. In 2006 their program Hate Comes Home, created in partnership with the Anti-Defamation League to help teens make good decisions about racism, bias and school violence, won for ‘Best Instructional Solution’.

–

About SIIA
The Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) is the principal trade association for the software and digital content industry. SIIA provides global services in government relations, business development, corporate education and intellectual property protection to more than 800 leading software and information companies. For further information, visit www.siia.net.
The CODiE Awards, established in 1986, celebrate outstanding achievement and vision in the software, digital information and education technology industries. Winners were chosen by a unique combination of journalist and peer review, with over 250 judges from the trade press, consulting, educators, IT specialists and other knowledgeable yet neutral experts.
For a complete list of this year’s winners, visit: http://siia.net/codies/2008/winners.asp.

CNN ran a story last night covering WILL’s current in-development project, a VEILS Interactive Movie targeted at suicide prevention in the Army.

You can watch the full story here.

USA today is running a story about a project currently in development here at WILL. The new VEILS Interactive Movie is being developed in partnership with Lincoln University and the US Army, and is targeted at developing suicide prevention skills within the Army.

“Trying to stem a record surge in suicides, the Army is preparing an interactive video that will have soldiers play the role of a 19-year-old GI in Iraq ready to kill himself.

Make wrong choices for the fictional character — such as choosing not to confide in a friend — and he tries to kill himself.

He is shown fantasizing about suicide, said screenwriter Chris Stezin, in a barracks scene where the character points an M4 rifle at himself. Later, if the player avoids seeking help, the character grows more despondent and is shown entering his barracks. A gunshot is then heard, and the screen fades to black.”

Full story here.

Claudia Meyers, who has worked with WILL Interactive both as a writer (The Anatomy of Care) and writer/director (for the soon-to-be-released Outside the Wire), was featured today on the Kojo Nnamdi Show, on WAMU 88.5 (the DC area NPR station). She spoke about her feature film Kettle of Fish, the craft of screenwriting, and getting into the industry.

You can listen to the full section here: ( Windows Media | Real Audio )

You can also check out the shows free podcast here (reccomended).

Portfolio.com has featured our very own Jeffrey Hall (CCO) in their Job of the Week column:

If you’re a bomb-disposal technician, a hostage negotiator, or a suicide-prevention specialist, Jeffrey Hall has a game for you. Hall creates interactive movies for WILL Interactive, the Potomac, Maryland-based maker of experiential learning programs, which he helped found in 1994.

But Hall’s simulations don’t teach users the intricacies of dismantling bombs; his games are focused on ways to manage feelings and behaviors to get through situations most people are never formally trained to handle.

Read the full article here.

The Maryland Business Gazette is running a story on WILL Interactive and the Serious Game industry:

‘‘This is you,” says the voice in ‘‘Gator Six,” an interactive video filmed with live actors that’s used as a training tool for U.S. troops in Iraq.

‘‘You” — an Army artillery captain in the fictional nation of Ariana — ‘‘have just completed what turned out to be the last combat operation of the war,” the voice continues.

But before the troops can relax, ‘‘your” superior officer arrives by jeep and says he is ‘‘giving you a town”: Samara, population 13,000. He orders you to ‘‘pacify it, maintain order and prepare it for transition to democracy.” You have only 95 soldiers, who now must become town administrators.

The screen darkens. The voice asks you to make a pivotal decision: Do you set up outside of Samara and find out who’s in charge of the town? Or do you ‘‘roll in heavy,” to show you are in charge?

‘‘Gator Six” is a leadership game that teaches adaptability and cross-culture cooperation, one of many ‘‘serious” games produced by Will Interactive Inc. of Potomac. The company produces such games for military, law enforcement, health care and corporate clients.

Read the full article here.

WILL Interactive CEO Sharon Sloane talks about the “serious games” WILL uses to train business leaders and military personnel.

You can listen to the episode here.