The US Navy Is Turning Sea Lions And Dolphins Into Gamers
Beyond your dog barking whenever it sees you bonding with the virtual canines in Breath of the Wild (just me?), animals interacting with video games might not be something you realize is really a thing. Turns out there's an entire department of the US Navy teaching sea lions and dolphins how to game.
The US Navy has published a press release (thanks, PC Gamer) detailing its work with animals and video games, paying particular attention to a sea lion named Spike. Even though Spike was the last in his group to learn how to play the Navy's specially designed games, he was the first to complete the program. There's a life lesson about going back to Elden Ring after it chewed you up and spat you out in there somewhere.
RELATED: Best Evergreen Team Members As Animals In Video Games
Spike and his fellow sea lions were taught to recognize certain stimuli on a screen, then shown the controller they'd be working with, and finally learned how that controller can be used to change what they can see. Their first task was to move a blue ball into a black box, and they have gradually been given more challenging things to do as they've improved.
When Spike finishes a level, he's rewarded with a fish plus an lot of praise from his trainers. The Navy tested a system in which the machine would award the sea lions without a trainer present, but they preferred having an audience. I can relate, Spike. Schooling someone on FIFA is always better when you're in a room full of people. No one's throwing me a treat when I score an injury-time winner, though. Can I apply for this program?
Spike and his fellow sea lions aren't the only animals learning to play video games. Dolphins are also a part of the program, performing similar tasks on a big
Read more on thegamer.com
