Oceania

Brian Crecente -

Armed with M4 automatic rifles, swathed in body armour and combat fatigues, the five-man US Special Forces Airborne entry team stacks up outside the entrance to the house.

An explosion sends bits of the door flying inside. The men slide through the still-smoking opening, fanning to the right and left, guns up, safeties off, fingers on triggers. The live rounds start flying almost immediately. Bullets tear through the men standing inside the house, knocking them to the ground. One round hits a terrorist in the head, a bright red plume of blood splatters against the wall.

Special Forces don’t usually play games, but for their Fort Bragg training they sometimes make an exception to that rule.

The Laser Shot Virtual Shoot House gives these specialised warriors a chance to blow in doors, fire live ammo and take out life-sized enemies, all in a real environment helped along by quite a bit of video game technology.