US airmen get Xbox Live in Europe

Microsoft's Xbox Live online gaming service has just acquired a customer that knows something about strategy and tactics--the US Department of Defense. The US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE) have paid $200,000 to outfit 14 bases around the continent with 17 Xbox Live gaming centers, as a way of giving young airmen in the region something to do in their downtime, according to the official US military publication Stars and Stripes. When off duty, they will be able to hone their military skills with such multiplayer games as Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War and Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell.

The airmen will be able to play against those in other European bases or other Xbox Live subscribers around the globe. Commanders are also getting involved in the project, and are considering staging a command-wide deathmatch, according to Stars and Stripes.

The idea for the gaming centers emerged from focus groups conducted by the branch of the USAFE concerned with community activities. Bases received between $7,500 and $20,000 for the centers' furniture, equipment, and networking costs. Germany's Spangdahlem Air Base hosted the pilot program, and got its center in April. The Air Force said it chose the Xbox for its superior online gaming capabilities.