'Virtual Iraq' treats PTSD with modded Full Spectrum Warrior

If you're curious to see how the government is using video games to help war veterans – and not just turn them into killing machines, as some say – over at The New Yorker there's a rather lengthy piece on Virtual Iraq, a system in development that uses a modded Full Spectrum Warrior to help those struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

In addition to the game, Virtual Iraq involves using a head-mounted display (i.e. virtual reality goggles), earphones and a scent-producing machine. The prolonged-exposure therapy involves having the user revisit and retell the traumatic story repeatedly to "disconnect the memory from the reactions to the memory, so that although the memory of the traumatic event remains ... are restored to insignificance." We look forwarding to hearing more about the program, and we wonder how the effects of it would change with a more visually-advanced war game like Call of Duty 4.

Note: The above video is from an un-modded version of Full Spectrum Warrior and not Virtual Iraq.