RAF says yes to gaming

In a move that has definitely piqued our interest, RAF has opened its first ever gaming room. The RAF Central Fund has supported the move with PCs and consoles that will keep our heroes entertained at RAF Odiham.

The RAF Association also pitched in for the new e-sports club with a local-area network (LAN) room. The move is supposed to help make the RAF gaming community stronger – and it’s a move we can definitely all get behind.

Gaming itself is no new trend. It has steadily grabbed the attention of many men we know – and a growing number of women, too. RAF itself has been upping its game (pun intended), the RAF VGEA was created just this year. So our gaming enthusiasts in uniform will have a lot to look forward to.

These enthusiasts are definitely motivated and dedicated; they train in teams and the teams then end up competing in big events such as Insomnia – Britain’s biggest E-sports gaming festival.

Wing Commander Dan Penter, the chairman of the association, believes that this is a positive development and that it will help fight the stigma associated with gaming. Gaming culture can allow rank-less interaction between service personnel, which can help the social fabric of the forces grow stronger.

Another benefit, as identified by Penter, is that RAF members will be able to find and connect to like-minded colleagues.

With the world becoming highly tech-oriented, it is fair that the armed forces also move in the same direction. Worldwide, there is an increase in the emphasis on STEM education and gaming has proven to help develop these skills in individuals.

In the long run, this gaming room won’t only be helping members relax and unwind; it will be polishing their skills to deal with issues such as cybercrime and understand the use of technology better. They will be able to contribute better to cyber-defence.

Of course, at the same time, being active in the gaming community will also help the RAF increase its recruitment pool. With the current recruitment crisis, a strong presence among young groups can ensure higher applicants in the future resulting in an improvement in the recruitment situation.

Some of the representatives of the RAF gaming association now compete against some of the best teams in the UK. Healthy competition has now started taking place within the armed forces. Only recently, RAF triumphed in the first Interservice E-sports contest against the army, while playing Overwatch.

We’re waiting to see how rivalries between RAF and the army, or the navy, or more, translate into e-sports now!